Do You Believe in Ghosts?
by DragonParadise
Summary: Magnus and Catarina are famous paranormal researchers (of sorts) and are known throughout New York. Alec Lightwood and his family move into a new house, and strange things start happening to him and his siblings. Can Magnus and Catarina help? *AU AH Based (loosely) on the movie The Conjuring with some references to the tv show Supernatural*
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so here it is. I hope you all enjoy it. Once again, sorry about the other story. Also, I changed the summary a bit, just because I didn't really like the other one. ENJOY :) **

**P.S. If you haven't seen the movie this is based on, that's alright. It doesn't really matter. **

**DiScLaImEr: Don't own the characters, CC does, but the plot is mine. :) **

* * *

"I don't know where to start," the girl – Aline – muttered. She was looking at her feet; her lower lip was trembling, as if at any given moment she may burst out into tears.

Magnus looked around the cozy living room they were seated in and sighed. He felt bad for the girl, he really did, but sometimes he gets fed up with people who are scared of things they don't understand.

"Just start from the beginning," said Magnus' business partner – and best friend – Catarina. Aline glanced up at Ragnor, the cameraman who was filming right behind Magnus' head, and swallowed, tucking a strand of her short black hair behind her ear. Magnus cleared his throat and leaned over to pick up his teacup from the coffee table, which was placed between the two couches, in the center of the room.

There was a tall blond-headed girl seated close to Aline on the couch across from Magnus and Catarina. She saw Aline fidget and slipped her hand in Aline's. Magnus smiled behind his tea. The blond gave her an encouraging smile and a nod. Aline returned the smile and brought her gaze to meet Catarina's, glancing sideways at Magnus and Ragnor. "W-well," she said, "it started when…when I moved in." Her eyes widened in realization and fear. "This is all my fault."

"No," the blond said fiercely. That was the first word Magnus had heard her say since he'd been here. "No, it had been happening before she moved in, but we all thought it was rats or something. It's an old house, so it is possible."

"Can you describe what 'it' is, please?" Catarina asked.

"And who the 'we all' are in this story,' Magnus added.

"And, uh, what were your names again?" Catarina rolled her eyes at Ragnor's question. Magnus was secretly relieved he wasn't the only one who had forgotten the girls' names.

"I'm Helen Blackthorn," the blond said, "and this is Aline Penhallow." She paused, trying to think how that was relevant, or thinking that Ragnor needed to listen the first time. "I lived here with my brothers and sisters before Aline moved in. Um, there were always strange noises and things around the house for as long as I can remember, and we moved here when I was two. But, once again, this house is old, so naturally it will moan and creak every now and then."

Magnus sighed. "Once again, who is 'we'?"

"My father and I, and my little brother," she answered.

"Where is your father now?" Catarina asked.

Helen glanced at Aline. "He had a heart attack two years ago, when Aline and I first started dating." Aline swallowed again. Helen rubbed a hand up and down her back, whispering something in her ear. Magnus thought this was interesting.

"And your mother?" Catarina asked softly.

"Um," she said, "my mother died when I was two and my brother, Mark, was just a baby. That's why we moved. My father remarried after a few years and had more children. His wife died four years ago-" she cut of and shuttered. "We don't talk about it."

Magnus glanced at Catarina, and she returned his look. They were both thinking the same thing. Magnus leaned forward. "How old are you? Both of you."

"Twenty," Helen answered.

"Nineteen," Aline said.

Magnus nodded, taking it in. "And where are the other children?"

"I gave them money for ice cream, to get them out of the house for a while." Helen looked at Ragnor, and then at Magnus. "Is that all the background info you need?" She was starting to get annoyed. Good.

"Yes, thank you." Magnus smiled. "Now, you say that you've been hearing strange noises since you've been here, but none really to draw suspicion, right?" She nodded. "And you say things really picked up when Aline moved in?"

"Well, not exactly," Helen said. "My siblings and I started noticing big things, like stuff had been moved and chairs had been turned over, after…after Maria died."

"And Maria was…?"

"My step-mother."

Magnus looked at Catarina, a smile gracing his face. "Now we're getting somewhere." He turned back to the girls. "How did she die?"

"She, uhm, hung herself." The response was so quiet he could barely hear it, but it was there.

"In the house?" Catarina asked. She nodded. "Could you show me? And Aline can tell Magnus and Ragnor the rest of the story. If that's okay," she added quickly, seeing the worried look come across Aline's face. Helen nodded and stood up. Aline grabbed her hand quickly, shaking her head and whispering something.

"'You'll be fine," Helen reassured her, and motioned for Catarina to follow.

"Don't scare her," Catarina hissed to Magnus as she left the room. Magnus shrunk back into the couch. Cat had always scared Magnus just a little – though ask him about it and Magnus will deny the whole thing – since they met in college.

After they had gone, Aline looked at Magnus, and he peered back at her. He nodded once. "Whenever you're ready."

"Andrew Blackthorn never liked me," she said rapidly. "Andrew was Helen's father. I was introduced to the family a few months before Helen came out. I think he knew then, because he never allowed me back into the house, not until the night he had his heart attack. It was the night Helen came out." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Helen says it wasn't anyone's fault; he'd always had a bad heart, but that wasn't it. He'd been healthy for the five years before that. I know he died because he couldn't handle that his daughter was dating a girl." She paused.

"Keep going," Magnus encouraged.

"A few months after he died, Helen asked me to move in, saying that she and the kids needed me. I said I would, and that's when it really started." Magnus was on the edge of his seat. "Things would fly across the room, hitting the wall and shattering – _my_ things, like my cell phone. At night, something would pull my hair, really hard. It seemed it was only targeting me at first, but then it started on Helen, and then Mark, and Julian…" She started sobbing. "A-and once, I-I even s-saw him in my m-mirror."

"Who?" Magnus asked.

"M-Mr. Blackthorn!"

* * *

The tape started going fuzzy, so Magnus cut off the projector and looked around at the gaping faces of college students. He and Catarina were the guest lecturers at NYU, and were teaching the students about their profession. Magnus smirked; he loved this part. "Any questions?"

A hundred hands shot up at once. He laughed and turned to Catarina. It was her job to call on the students anyway. She lazily pointed to a boy in the front row, who stood up. "What happened to the rest of the film? And the girls, are they okay?"

"_Someone_," Magnus said, looked pointedly at Ragnor, who was sitting at the very end of the dais they were on, "got excited and dropped the camera. Onto my head, I might add." Ragnor sheepishly shrugged. The audience laughed. "As for Miss Blackthorn and Miss Penhallow, they are currently enjoying their nice, ghost-free house on the edge of New York with Miss Blackthorn's…six siblings, I believe, and then another kid… What's her name, Cat?"

"Emma," Catarina supplied.

Magnus nodded. "There you go. Next?"

"So," a girl said, they are all right? And it actually _was_ a ghost, and not just rats?"

"I prefer the word _spirit_," said Catarina, "and it wasn't just one, but two: Andrew Blackthorn, and his second late wife, Maria. We had to use some…_extreme_ methods to get Andrew out, but after it was over Maria just moved on."

"Her purpose for staying was to protect the children," Magnus continued, "and once that was done there was no reason for her to stay."

"She didn't do a very good job protecting Aline," said a sarcastic voice from above them. Magnus looked into the upper rows of the auditorium at a blond boy, about eighteen, leaning back in his seat, looking smug. A boy with black hair nudged him with his elbow and motioned for him to be quiet.

Magnus' smirk returned. "Indeed she didn't," he said, addressing the blond, but his eyes were on the black-headed boy next to him. "But she wasn't a Blackthorn, therefore not her responsibility." He folded his arms across his chest. The boy with black hair looked at him in admiration, a small smile forming.

But the blond wasn't done. He stood up and mimicked Magnus' pose. "Ho do you know all this, anyway? Did Maria _tell_ you? Can you see dead people?" A few people snickered.

Magnus sighed and looked at Catarina. "We have a nonbeliever. You want to handle him?"

"You look like you have it taken care of," she answered.

He ran both hands through his hair. "Well," he said, "I, personally, can't see _dead people_, as you put it. I'm just a…paranormal researcher, one might say." He saw intrigue in the black-haired boy's eyes, so he kept going. "I've studied the paranormal and supernatural since I was in college."

"That doesn't answer my question," the blond said.

Magnus held up a hand. "I'm getting there. My colleague is…well, she's special. She can…sense when something isn't quite right, or when another person, living or dead, is near her, or in the same room, or however you want to think of it. Psychic, she's been called. So, Maria _basically _made Catarina aware of her purpose, and then Catarina felt her leave."

The blond scoffed and sat back down, muttering something to the boy beside him. The black-haired one snapped at him and continued to observe the lecture – or rather, observe Magnus.

Another hand shot up. "How long ago was this?" another girl asked.

"Oh…about three months ago," Magnus answered, eyes still on the boy.

"Any more questions?" Catarina asked, and a hundred more hands went in the air. She nodded to a boy in the very back row, and he stood.

"Do you have a cool name for yourselves? Are you guy, like, the ghost hunters on TV or something?"

Magnus looked at Catarina, excited. "Ghost Facers, Catarina! We are the Ghost Facers!" He glanced to his right. "And Ragnor." He heard a grunt.

"No," Catarina scolded, "we most certainly aren't the _Ghost Facers_. Now is not the time for you to be a nerd, Magnus." She rolled her eyes and looked to the still-standing boy. "We don't have a team, or whatever you just said. We just have the names we were given when we were born: Catarina Loss and Magnus Bane."

Magnus looked back up to the black-haired boy one last time, and he could've sworn he saw the boy's eyes twinkle.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! So, sorry this took so long. I've been pretty busy. I just want you guys to know that weekends are mainly my updating time. **

**Thank you to my reviewers. I love you all! Please keep reviewing if you like the story! **

**DisClaimer: Don't own Characters. **

* * *

**One Month Earlier**

"Would you guys shut up?" Alec yelled, causing silence to fall on the two arguing siblings. He could see their thoughts on their faces. Alec never yelled. Their sweet, shy, quiet nineteen-year-old brother would never raise his voice to them. He let out a breath and continued to focus on the road ahead. "Iz, he ate your oatmeal this morning. That was five hours ago. Get over it."

Isabelle huffed and crossed her arms. In the passenger seat, Jace let out a whoop of victory. "Face it Izzy," he said, satisfaction written all over his face. "I will always win."

"As for you," Alec continued, and Jace's face fell, "you need to stop taking her food. Until I can get a job and we have regular money coming in, we can't afford to eat like we used to."

Jace snorted. "That was a long time ago," he mumbled, looking out the window. Alec pretended he didn't hear it. They'd been on the road for a while, so Alec couldn't blame his younger sister and adopted brother for being cranky. Right now, he was very grateful for the silence.

Soon Alec turned off at their exit, and Isabelle started talking again. "So, do you think we'll be okay here? I mean – "

"We'll be fine, Iz," Alec said. "We'll make it, I promise." He heard her gasp, and saw Jace look at him out of the corner of his eye. He knew why they reacted that way. Alec never made a promise unless he knew he could keep it. Jace leaned back in his seat and blew out a breath, and Alec relaxed a little, too. He was a little excited to be moving. A new neighborhood where no one knew them, and they could start over.

Alec will start his sophomore year at NYU in a few days. He'd saved his money up for a year so he could afford a house for him and his siblings; so he could get them out of the fate he'd avoided – with the help of the inheritance his grandparents had left him.

Jace will also attend NYU, but as a freshman. He got a four-year scholarship for basketball, he's that good. Isabelle will be a senior in high school, and is excited to be starting a new one. She says she was getting bored with the guys, and a fresh pick will do her good. Alec rolled his eyes when she said that.

Alec turned down a road marked Wayland Drive. He hoped Jace wouldn't see it, but no such luck. Jace made a face displaying disgust and shuttered.

The Lightwoods' parents weren't really the best. Alec was his father's punching bag for nine years. When he went to college, Robert turned on Jace and Izzy. Maryse, Alec's mother, was too afraid to stop him. He wouldn't do as much to Isabelle, and he only hit Jace every other day. But one night, he "accidently" hit their little brother, Max, and that was the last straw for Jace. Alec doesn't know the whole story, but he does know the police were called, and his siblings were taken away from their parents and put into separate foster homes. Jace was put with the Waylands, who weren't much better than the Lightwoods. Isabelle was put with the Carstairs, and she said they were pretty nice.

But it all turned out okay. Once Alec turned nineteen, he filed for custody of his siblings and won. They were moving to their new house and everything will be just fine.

"When are we getting Max?" Jace asked, cutting through Alec's thoughts.

"Tomorrow," he answered, "so save him a nice room."

"I get first pick!" Jace and Isabelle yelled in unison. "No, I do!" They yelled again.

Alec sighed and tried to tune them out. After a few minutes of driving down the neighborhood, he spotted an old gravel road that led up a hill. At the foot of the road, a girl and a boy were walking side-by-side, talking. The boy had brown hair and glasses, and was making wild hand gestures as he explained something to the girl beside him, a short redheaded girl, who didn't really seem interested in whatever story he was telling. She was staring at the car that was currently going up the gravel road, her expression was curious.

Jace must've noticed too, because he jerked up and looked at her with awe. Alec glanced at him as they progressed up the hill. "Don't even, Jace."

"What?" Jace asked, not even looking at Alec, but was turned around in his seat, looking through the back window. Isabelle stuck her tongue out at him.

They pulled up in front of the house. It was a big two-story house, almost like the ones you see in scary movies. It had been painted white – once. Now it just looked like it decided to go jump in a mud puddle and then sprinkle dirt all over itself. Moss and vines were growing up the side and all along the roof. There was a sense of foreboding about the place, so much so that Alec was almost afraid to get out of the car. Jace leaned toward the windshield and stared up at the house. "You're taste in houses is even worse than your taste in clothes," he stated. Jumping out of the car, he looked up towards the sky, which had taken on an ominous grey color during their traveling. His nose wrinkled in distaste. "Seriously. This is just creepy."

Alec opened his door and stepped out. The wind picked up then, and he shivered, pulling the black jacket he was wearing tightly around himself. Isabelle had gotten out with him, and looked at the house with narrow eyes. "Did you even look at the house when you bought it?" she asked.

"Well…" Alec looked down and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"Alec!" Jace and Isabelle yelled in unison for the third time that day. They used to do it a lot as kids. Alec had always figured it was because they had the same thought process.

"I'm sorry!" Alec said. "But, in all honesty, I didn't think it would be _this_ bad." He gestured to the house. The wind started to blow again, as if it had heard his comment and didn't like it. "It was the only house that I could get cheap – "

"I can see why!" Jace held out his arm and turned in circle, gesturing to the entire area.

"I'm sure we can make it work," Isabelle said, surprising everyone. "I mean, it will take some _major _elbow grease…" she trailed off and eyed the house. She smiled. "Let's go check it out!"

They started toward the house, and the sense of foreboding grew stronger. Alec stopped on the porch before going in. There was an old porch swing with rusted chains on the edge, and on the other side was a various amount of flowerpots, minus the flowers. Most of them were chipped or cracked, not really useful. He looked around the yard.

The house was surrounded by trees, which made it even creepier. Most of them looked dead, and were void of any leaves, which was odd, seeing as how it was September. There was one tree that caught Alec's eye. It was bigger than the rest, and a blackish color. The trunk was warped, and the branches were twisted in odd angles. Dead leaves were sprinkled haphazardly around the base, and they chased each other in circles when the wind blew. The whole thing looked rather…weird, but it definitely fit the setting.

But Alec couldn't go back on his decision now. He had moved here for a better life, and a better life was what he was going to have, damn it. As Isabelle said, they would just have to make it work. "Alec!" a voice called for him. "Get your ass in here!"

He turned and walked through the door. The first thing he saw was the stairs, leading up to the second story of the house, donned in red carpet. The walls were painted white, but had yellowed with time. He walked down a small hallway leading into the kitchen. To his left was a doorway to what he assumed was the living room. It was the biggest room in the house, and it was empty, save a few cobwebs. There were three windows in the room. He tried one of them, but it wouldn't budge. "Alec!" the voice called again, sounding as though it were in the kitchen.

The kitchen walls were white as well, but had blue flowers painted on them. There were cupboards attached to the wall, and a sink and an oven, all white, but with spots of brown. Jace had the oven door open, and was poking his head in. Isabelle was leaning against the sink, watching him with mild interest. "Have any of you noticed – " Alec started.

"You will not _believe_ the amount of dead rats we found in here," Isabelle said, and shuttered. "_Ew_."

"What exactly were the facts that you got on this place?" Jace asked, taking his head out of the oven and opening the cabinets above him.

"Um…" Alec thought a moment. "It was built in the 1800s… and you have to jiggle the knob on the back door or it won't open." He pointed to the white door directly adjacent to the doorway he was standing, with blue (and brown) curtains.

"Is that it?" Isabelle asked. Alec nodded. She rolled her eyes. "Geez, Alec."

"Don't give me that look. You know I'm not good with people, and to be frank, that sales lady scared the hell out of me."

"Yes, well, this house scares the hell out of _me_!" Jace said. "Did it even occur to you that if the lady was creepy, the house was probably creepy too? What was going through your head at that time?"

"I was thinking about Max," Alec muttered, and they all fell silent. Alec didn't know what kind of foster home he was in; he was only given the address and the time to pick him up, which was tomorrow at 11:00. Alec was scared that they were mean to him, or that they didn't notice he was even there and didn't give him the proper care that he needed. Max was a bit like Alec: he blended in and was never noticed. "Speaking of which," Alec picked back up, to brighten the mood, "I hope you saved him good room."

"We haven't been up there yet," Isabelle answered. "We were waiting on –" Without warning, Jace shot past Alec – almost knocking him down – and ran up the stairs. Once Isabelle had gotten over her initial shock at seeing Jace move so fast, she raced after him, yelling "No fair, Herondale!"

Jace was born a Herondale, but when he was about ten, his family died in a fire. Alec's parents were his godparents, so the Lightwood family took him in. He was always so proud of Jace, Robert was. Jace was easily his favorite, the star basketball player who got all the girls. Alec was always on the sidelines, the quiet one who was into art instead of sports. Robert had never really liked Alec. The beatings started when Alec was around nine, and didn't stop until he went to college. On the day Alec left, he finally told his parents he was gay. It was sort of an act of rebellion on his part, to see his parents shocked faces – and his siblings' happy ones – in his rearview mirror as he drove off.

Alec decided, instead of going upstairs, he was going to see the backyard. Just as the sales woman said, he had to jiggle the knob (a lot) to finally get the door open.

The trees were thicker on this side of the house, and they trailed all the way down the hill. There was a small dirt pathway that went down the hill, and Alec's adventurous side took over. He walked down the path; he slid a few times on wet leaves and loose dirt.

At the base of the hill, the trees started to clear, revealing a pond with a small wooden dock. Alec shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and walked the length of the dock. He peered over the edge.

The water was murky; you could barely see two feet under. It didn't really look safe to swim in, like he knew Max would want to do as soon as he saw it. The surface bubbled slightly, and Alec wondered what kind of fish could actually live in that kind of water. The wind blew again and he felt the need to be inside, where at least he wasn't alone.

* * *

Alec came to the back door again and tried the knob; it wouldn't budge. He banged on it a few times, yelling for Izzy, Jace, anyone. After a few minutes, he decided to go around to the front door, where he knew he could get someone to let him in.

As he walked around, he saw that two figures were making their way up the hill, muttering to each other. He caught snatches of their conversation as they got within earshot. They didn't seem to notice him as he climbed the sidesteps next to the porch swing.

"…just don't know, Clary, I mean who knows what kind of people would buy this house – "

"Excuse me," Alec spoke up. The figures looked toward him, and he recognized them as the two kids he'd seen when driving up. They seemed nervous, as if they didn't quite want to be in the vicinity of Alec or this house or anything near here. The small redheaded girl was carrying something. "Can I help you?"

"Um," said the girl, approaching Alec uncertainly. "Hi, I'm Clary Fray, and this is Simon Lewis." She gestured vaguely toward the taller boy with glasses behind her. "We live down the street. We saw that you were new to the neighborhood and we brought you a housewarming gift." She thrust a pie into Alec's arms and then backed away from the porch.

"You forgot the part where our moms made us," Simon muttered. Clary dug her elbow into his ribs.

"Alec!" Jace came tumbling down the stairs and out the door in front of Alec. "You'll never believe what Iz and I – " He cut off when he saw their guests, and for a split second his jaw dropped. He quickly composed himself and leaned against the doorway, arms folded. "Hey." Alec almost snorted a laugh.

The girl called Clary raised an eyebrow. "Hi." Simon folded his arms across his chest as well, clearly not liking Jace's first impression.

"Clary, Simon, this is my brother Jace." He looked at Jace, who was staring at Clary. He rolled his eyes before speaking. "Where's Izzy?"

"Right here," said Isabelle, leaning on the other side of the doorway. She made her way to the newcomers, arm outstretched. "Isabelle Lightwood, pleasure to meet you."

Clary shook her hand gingerly. "Clary."

Isabelle winked at Simon before disappearing back into the house. Jace nodded to them before following, muttering to Alec, "Come upstairs when you're done."

"Can I ask you a question?" Alec asked. "Why are you so afraid of the house?"

Simon stared at him, wide-eyed. "Because this place is friggin' haunted!" That earned him another elbow in the ribs. That must hurt after a while.

"It's just…we've heard stories," Clary explained, looking down and wrapping her arms around herself. They turned around to leave.

"Wait, I – " Alec started to chase after them.

"Nice to meet you!" Clary called after her as the practically ran down the hill.

From the sales lady's bad description, to the creepy-looking tree, to neighbors breaking their necks to keep away, Alec started to wonder what was really going on with this house, and if they might actually live to see tomorrow.

* * *

**So, what'd you think? Review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey I'm back! Yay! Okay, so sorry that the story is moving so slowly, but I promise it will get better...one day. For now, though, enjoy what you have. **

**Disclaimer: I only own the plot. The characters that are used belong to the fabulous Cassandra Clare. :)**

* * *

Alec was still thinking about Clary and Simon's little visit as he climbed the red-rugged stairs. He could hear his siblings' voices carrying through the halls.

The second story of the house was shaped like a square, if that makes sense. It was more spacious than downstairs, and had many more rooms. There was a large square cut out in the middle of the floor, surrounded by a banister. The wood floor creaked as he walked cautiously, examining his surroundings. He walked towards the banister and looked over; he could see the first level of the house, but he also noticed a door that he must've overlooked. Curiosity came over him, and he started to go back down when a hand came down on his shoulder. He jumped and turned, coming face to face with…his little sister.

"There you are," she said, taking his arm and pulling him after her. "I want to show you my room." She led him to a small room just a little way from the top of the stairs. It was empty, save n antique vanity table in the corner. Jace was snooping around it, opening drawers that squeaked loudly. His face looked very distorted in the broken and dirty mirror. From where Alec stood, he could see himself in the mirror, and the empty doorway he was standing next to. A flicker of something, almost like a shadow, passed across the doorway. Startled, he turned quickly, but saw nothing.

"So," Isabelle said, gaining his attention again. She held her arms out to her sides and twirled. "What do you think? Of course it will need furniture, and after the moving truck comes with the rest of our stuff, we will have to go to IKEA, and…" she rambled on about paint and things, but Alec had ceased paying attention.

It was about 4:30, and the moving truck should be here soon. "Hey, Jace," Alec said, accidently cutting off Isabelle. She looked at him in annoyance, but said nothing.

"This thing is so weird," Jace mumbled. "What?" He said a little louder, but not looking at Alec; he was still exploring the vanity.

"Can you go downstairs with me? I think there's a cellar and I want to check it out. Iz, can you – "

"Is little Allie afraid of going in rooms by himself?" Jace smirked at him and straightened up.

"No!" Alec said, but his voice cracked a little, and he blushed. He cleared his throat and puffed out his chest a little in a failed attempt to look manly. "Isabelle, can you go outside and wait for the furniture truck?"

She rolled her eyes and went out of the room and downstairs. Jace and Alec followed her, Jace chanting, "Allie is a scaredy-cat, he's afraid he'll find a little old rat, he might be fun to jump out at!" Alec nudged him with his elbow. "That doesn't even make any sense!"

"It doesn't have to," Jace said. "The point is clear: You are afraid to go down into a little cellar by yourself." He smirked.

"No," Alec said calmly, "I simply want you to come down with me in case we find any furniture that we want to bring up."

By then they had reached the door to the cellar. He put his hand on the knob when he noticed Jace paused. Alec glanced at him to find a disbelieving look cast towards him. "What?" he asked. Jace just rolled his eyes and nodded toward the door.

Alec twisted the knob. The door opened with a _creeeeeaak_. The sound made Alec shutter. They couldn't see the bottom of the stairs; everything was pitch black. "Have we got a flashlight?" he asked. Jace shook his head, but brought his cell phone out of his pocket and turned it on, illuminating the first few steps. There were no banisters or anything to hold on to, so they would just have to be careful. He glanced at Jace one more time – Jace's face mirrored Alec's: slightly terrified – before descending down the rickety stairs. With each pop and crack, he thought the stairs might give way with their weight.

Jace's phone didn't help much when they got to the bottom. Alec took it out of his hands and held it up, looking around for a cord or something indicating a light. He finally found a cord hanging from the ceiling and pulled it. Nothing happened. He tried a few times more, but there was no light. He looked over at Jace, whose face looked blue from the dim light of the phone. "Tell Izzy when she goes to IKEA to get flashlights and light bulbs." Jace nodded once and they scrambled up the steps.

* * *

Isabelle was already directing the men carrying the furniture to various places in the house. Jace and Alec sat on the porch and watched, laughing at their younger sister. She noticed and stuck her tongue out at them. Alec noticed one man leaning against the truck with his arms crossed. He was looking up at the windows of the upper floor, eyes squinted. "Hey!" He called to the boys. "Is there another person in the house?"

"Uh, no?" said Jace, walking over to him. Alec followed close behind. He looked up where the moving man was pointing, in the corner window of the house: Isabelle's room.

"What the-" said the man, "she's gone." He looked at Jace incredulously.

Jace snorted. "Did she wave? It was probably our sister." He looked toward Alec and rolled his eyes. Alec gave a short, shaky laugh.

The man's eyebrows turned down. "No, it wasn't the little bossy girl. It was…some woman. Your mom, maybe?"

Alec stepped forward. "Our mom isn't here. It's just the three of us." It was getting darker by then, and it made the property even creepier.

The man looked at Alec with an eyebrow raised. "Then who was the woman?"

Jace looked at Alec. "Do you have an explanation?" Alec shook his head.

There was silence for a moment, and then the man hurried to get back in the truck. The other men who came with him ran out of the house and got in the truck as well, and they sped down the hill. Isabelle stood in the doorway, looking confused. "What the hell was their problem?" she asked.

"Beats me," said Jace. "All I know is that I need to set up my bed in my room, and then I need a shower." He got up on the porch and went through the door, pushing past Isabelle. Alec still stood where he was, looking up at Isabelle's bedroom window.

"Something wrong?" Izzy asked, going to stand next to him.

"I don't think so," he said quietly, and together they went in the house.

* * *

It would seem as though his younger siblings picked out his room for him. Alec looked around at the small room. It also seemed that the moving men had just precariously thrown the furniture he'd moved from his old house – after, of course, everyone was out – in here.

After Robert was arrested on that night and their children taken away, Maryse sort of…lost it. She filed for custody the same time Alec did, but was found "physically unable to take care of children." But how Alec was found physically able was and possibly always will be a mystery to him, considering he's just a sophomore in college. But, nonetheless he got custody. Maryse moved to an apartment in Brooklyn, and Alec lost contact…not that he had any to begin with.

Shortly before arriving at their new house, Alec, Jace, and Isabelle stopped at their old house to find that their furniture hadn't been touched. Alec had convinced the landlord to keep things there until he could actually get to it.

Alec moved each piece of furniture to its appropriate place before preparing the bed. It was then that the temperature suddenly dropped in the house, and he thought about getting more blankets, or turning the heat up.

He came out of his room, lit only by lamplight, and turned down the dark hallway to Jace's room; the thermostat was right next to it. That must've been the reason he picked the room. Now the bastard was freezing them all to death.

When he reached the thermostat, the temperature read seventy. Huh, that's weird. He opened Jace's door slightly, and was greeted by lamplight and the most rancid smell known to man. Alec gagged. "By the Angel, Jace, did you let one?"

Jace leaped from his bed, where he was reading a book. "You smell it too? I swear, it's not me. It smells like something died. Probably another one of those damn rats." He sighed. "I hate them."

Alec rolled his eyes. "I came in here to tell you not to mess with the thermostat. And don't you think its cold?"

"No." Jace looked around the room. "I'm fine. Doesn't the thermostat say seventy? That's what I set it on before we went to bed." He shrugged. "It's probably just your imagination. Go to bed." He sat on his bed and calmly waited for Alec to leave.

"Whatever," Alec said, and went out of the room without closing the door back.

After turning the heat up to at least seventy-five, he made his way back to his room, rubbing his arms. A sudden chill came over him, and he could see his breath in front of him. He stopped in his tracks. He got this feeling that someone was behind him, and it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He turned his head about a quarter-inch, and then he heard it.

"You're next."

It was a faint whisper; so quiet he could swear he didn't hear it. Except he did, and he whirled around to face whoever was behind him. But there wasn't anyone there.

Alec was panting now, his heart racing. "Jace!" he called.

A blond head poked out of the doorway. "Did you say something?" Alec asked, his voice shaking. He looked down to see his hands trebling slightly as well.

"No," Jace said. "You know, maybe you are getting too paranoid about all this. Yeah, it's a creepy house, and yes, the mover guy did say he saw something. But that guy was probably on crack, and you really shouldn't take to heart everything someone says."

"But – "Alec stammered. "S-someone... Someone said something - someone said something to me. I heard it."

"What did they say?" Jace asked, but Alec could tell he didn't believe a word his older brother was saying.

"They said, 'You're next.' What does that mean, Jace?"

The blond sighed. "It means you have had a stressful day, and you need to go to sleep because it will be another stressful day tomorrow. Goodnight, Alec." And then he disappeared into his room, leaving Alec to wonder if it was really a good idea to move in the first place.

* * *

Alec slept fitfully all night. He woke up sweaty and gasping, but couldn't remember the dream that had left him that way. There was a smell similar, but not quite the same, as the one he'd smelled last night. This smell vaguely resembled…oh no, Isabelle's cooking.

Alec changed from pajama pants and an old t-shirt to jeans and a dark sweater, one that was nicer that the other ones he owned, considering this is the day they get Max from his foster home.

When he entered the kitchen, he was over taken with the odor of burnt bacon. "Jace," he scolded, taking a seat at the kitchen table, "you let Isabelle cook!"

Jace looked pained. "She got up before I did. I tried to stop her."

She waved a fork at them from the stove. "My cooking is not _that_ bad."

"Yes it is," Jace said.

Isabelle shook her head. "Do you have to criticize everything?"

"Yes I do," Jace said, standing up from his seat across from Alec. "But it is _constructive _criticism."

"What am I supposed to learn from your 'constructive criticism'?" She used air quotes around those two words.

"You are supposed to learn…to never cook again!" He yelped as a piece of black bacon was thrown at him. Alec chuckled.

"Alright, cut it out. Iz, what time is it?"

"Almost ten-thirty," she said, turning off the stove. The sizzle and pop of the bacon died down instantly.

Alec jumped up. "What? You let me sleep that long?"

"You had a rough night," Jace said. "We could hear you talking in your sleep halfway down the hall. What were you dreaming about?"

"I…I don't know," Alec answered honestly. He cleared his throat and composed himself. "But that doesn't matter. Come on, we have to pick up Max."

* * *

**What do you think? I have to say, the "You're next" part really scared me when I wrote it, because I was in a pitch black bedroom. I had to go into the living room with my mother because my heard was pounding. Yeah...it my not seem that scary but...I got scared. Sue me. **

**Review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Howdy guys! I'm actually a bit early with the update, because my school let out early for Christmas break, so I got the whole day to work on it. This chapter is...okay, but that's just what I think. I'll let you decide. **

**To the review ****vhs (Guest) who had a question for me: yes, I believe in ghosts. My whole family believes my Grandmother's house is haunted by this little girl whom I call Sara. Don't ask my why I call her that, I always have, ever since I was little. **

**Enjoy the chapter, guys! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own CC's characters, but I own Tia, Nick, Cadie, and Cole, and I think I own Eve. :) **

* * *

Alec's foot was heavy on the gas pedal as he sped down the road. There were bags under his eyes, he noticed, and his knuckles were white from his death grip on the steering wheel. "So," he said in an effort to ease his anxiety, "how'd you all sleep last night?"

"Fine," said Isabelle next to him, examining her nails thoughtfully. She frowned when she found a chip in her nail polish. "Other than it was freezing." She turned around in her seat to glare at Jace.

"I did not touch the thermostat!" Jace huffed.

"Well, whatever." She twisted back around. "I think we may need to fix it anyway." She yammered on about going to IKEA today with the extra money she brought, what color of paint she will buy, and other things that Alec had no interest in.

"Get flashlights and light bulbs!" Jace supplied.

They had finally reached the address Alec had been given. He killed the car engine and looked at the house. It was pretty small and gray, with a swing set and a sandbox in the front yard. There was also a big tree with a tire swing. Alec glanced at Isabelle before getting out and walking up to the porch. He rang the doorbell and looked down at his shoes, a habit he'd had since high school. He noticed that he was standing on chalk drawings. There were five names drawn in different colors, and it was obvious children had been drawing them. Alec tugged Izzy's arm and she looked down and smiled. Max's name was written in black chalk, and next to it was a girl's name, Tia, written in purple. Next were the name Cole, and two other names, Nick and Cadie.

The door opened suddenly, revealing a small blond girl, eight or nine years old. Her green eyes stared up at him. "Yes?" She spoke like a little grown up.

"Uhm…" Alec seemed at a loss for words. "Is your mother – or guardian – home?"

The child just stared at him, as if she were trying to see inside him like an x-ray. Then she turned and yelled. "EVE! There are strange people here to see you!"

A woman appeared a few moments later. She was an older woman, maybe in her early 50s, with blond, almost white hair. She put her hand on the little girl's shoulder and gently pushed her away from the door. "That'll do, Tia. Hi," she said, smiling warmly, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. A tooth on the left side was slightly chipped. "How can I help you?"

Isabelle stepped forward. "We're here for our brother."

Alec nudged her with his elbow. "Don't be rude," he scolded. "Sorry, we-"

"You must be Alec!" Her smile grew wider, and this time it did reach her eyes. It seemed that now that she knew their purpose, she didn't see them as threats. "They told me you were coming. Max was so excited when I told him. Please, come in." She opened the door wider to accommodate them. Alec stepped inside the door, which led into a hallway, similar to their house. He could hear laughter of several children, and turned to Eve. Still smiling, she led them to a small opening: a doorway without a door. The sound of voices grew louder, and Alec looked into the room.

It was pretty big, complete with nice sofas and a huge TV sitting on a shelf; below it were different types of movies and complete seasons of television shows. There was a coffee table in the middle of the room, with bowls of popcorn and drinks. There were five children by a big stone fireplace that held no fire. They were telling stories that had each other rolling on the floor, their laughter filling the cozy immediately recognized his ten-year-old brother, sitting right in the middle. He also saw the little girl who answered the door, next to a blond boy who looked exactly like her. Twins, Alec guessed.

Two other kids, a boy and a girl, were sitting across from them. The boy was slightly taller than the rest of them, with brown shaggy hair. The girl had her dark hair pulled into a ponytail, and her hand was resting on the boy's.

"Max," Eve said quietly. They all turned to look at her. "Someone's here for you."

Alec stepped inside the room. Max's eyes lit up, and he stood and scrambled toward Alec, smiling broadly. "You're here!" he exclaimed as he threw his arms around Alec's waist and squeezed. "I knew you'd come!" He let go to hug Isabelle and Jace, who were standing right behind Alec. He didn't even notice them follow him in.

The four children Max was sitting with were all standing and looking on at the scene quietly. The two blond kids were glowering, their green eyes dark with anger, Alec assumed, for taking their friend. The brown-headed one looked sad, and the other girl looked confused. She tugged the boy's arm, and he leaned down for her to whisper in his ear. He whispered something back, and the girl looked close to tears.

Alec glanced over and saw Max looking back at them, his expression sorrowful. He walked over, and Alec watched as they pulled him into a group hug. He felt a soft hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Eve. "If you don't mind," she said, "could you show me the papers saying you have guardianship? It's a legal thing, I'm sure you understand."

"Of course," he said, "they're in the car. Jace could you-" But Jace was already gone, and he heard the front door open and shut. He turned back to Eve. "Thank you so much for taking such good care of our brother. It really means a lot."

"I'm sure it does," said Eve, "and I'm glad I could do it. My son moved out a few years ago, and since then I've been fostering children, to fill the void, you know? I don't see him much anymore…" She looked sadly off in the distance. "He travels America with friends he met in college; ghost hunters or something silly like that. Although they are quite famous. Maybe you've heard of them: Catarina Loss and Magnus Bane?" he shook his head no. "Well," she said, "I wouldn't expect you to. My Ragnor works the camera for them and – oh, thank you!"

Jace had returned with the papers and handed them to her. Isabelle was instructing Max to get his things ready. But Alec didn't want to go; he wanted to hear more about Catarina Loss and Magnus Bane. Maybe if he could contact them…

All too soon they were in the car, on their way to IKEA, because Isabelle absolutely could not wait another minute. Max was telling them all about this experience in his foster home, but Alec wasn't listening. He was busy thinking about what Eve had said about the ghost hunters.

* * *

Since that first night, Alec no longer had any "episodes of ghostly paranoia," as Isabelle had put it. They had fixed up the house, as best they could. Isabelle had painted her bedroom pink and black. She still has that old vanity table, and it rather completes the room. Max had painted his blue, and put a bookshelf in there to hold all his comics. He'd helped Alec put a tire swing on that big, scary-looking tree in the front yard. They had put a big TV in the living room, and had Jace clean out the fireplace – he'd complained because he was getting soot in his hair and all over his clothes.

School started, and everyday Isabelle walked home with Clary and Simon, who were in most of her classes. They still refused to come any closer to the house than the bottom of the driveway, even after Isabelle's repeated assurances that everything was fine; there was nothing wrong with the house besides its rat and spider infestation. Alec didn't necessarily like the spider part – they invaded his childhood nightmares after one bit him when he was small, and to this day he still hasn't gotten over it. Every time he got the chance, he would squish the little bastards.

Jace and Alec rode to NYU together, and they would get back usually before Isabelle did. Everyday, Jace would meet them at the bottom of the driveway just so he could talk to Clary. He'd admitted to Alec that he really liked her, and he was pretty sure she liked him back, and that he might ask her out in a few days. Every time he said that, though, he would chicken out, and Alec couldn't do anything but laugh. He wasn't used to seeing his brother this way; he was always so cool in front of girls.

A few months went by, and things were finally turning out for Alec and his family…or so he thought.

Occasionally, Max would come into Alec's room, crying because it felt like someone was pulling his hair. Once, Alec turned the lamp on to look at him, and he noticed a bluish bruise on the side of his younger brother's face. This, he admitted, scared Alec, and he allowed Max to sleep in his room whenever that happened, and it happened frequently.

Other times, Isabelle would complain about this smell that in no way resembled Jace's farts anymore. She said they smelled more of a rotting body. How she knew what a decomposing body smelled like, Alec didn't know.

But nothing compared to what they witnessed that night.

It had been just a normal day in October. It was chilly outside, and the temperature in the house wasn't helping, so they built a fire in the living room. They were just sitting around, watching a movie Alec couldn't remember the name of. Not that he was watching it anyway; he had a ton of homework to do. Jace was sitting in a chair on his phone, probably texting Clary. Max was reading one of his comics. The only one who really seemed to be watching was Isabelle, but she didn't seem that interested.

Alec looked up from his sociology textbook when he heard a thumping noise come from below him, followed by the harsh sound of an out-of-tune piano. He looked over at Jace. "Did you hear that?"

Jace looked too interested in whatever Clary had texted him, because he was smiling and not paying a bit of attention to his brother. Alec looked around the room; no one seemed disturbed by the strange noises. He removed the heavy book from his lap and got up from his place on the couch, taking one last look around as he walked out of the room; no one had moved.

He opened the creaking door and flipped the switch he and Jace put there a few weeks ago when they went to clean the cellar out. They had found dusty old furniture and a very old piano that Jace had no interest in. They had also found some old children's toys, like dolls and things, which really crept Jace out. After that he had nothing to do with the cellar.

Now, the light flickered on, and Alec descended down the rickety steps. The light bulb cast an eerie light on the old objects surrounding him, and he noticed that it was way colder down here than it was in the living room. He took a look around. Everything seemed to be in its place, nothing really touched. He walked over to the old piano and took a look, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets.

He turned on his heel and climbed the steps out of the cellar, flipping the light switch as he went out. He returned to the living room. "Did you find what you were looking for?" Jace asked as Alec sat back down next to Max, who had retrieved his headphones out of his room and was listening to his iPod as he read his comic. Alec noticed one person was missing.

"Where's Isabelle?"

"I don't know," Jace said. "I guess she went to bed. Anyway, I just asked Clary out. And she said yes. We are going to this diner, Taki's, this Saturday and -"

He was interrupted by a shrill shriek from upstairs. Both of the brothers stood and scrambled up the steps to the source of the scream, which happened to be their younger sister. Alec opened the door to see Isabelle, tears running down her face, clinging to the floor as if it were her only source of salvation. Alec scooped her up in his arms and tried to calm her down, while Jace searched the room for whatever made her act like this. Isabelle wasn't the kind of girl to get scared easily, so something terrible must be wrong. "What happened?" Alec practically yelled over her sobs.

"Th-there was – " she gasped. "There w-was this w-woman. She wa-was in my m-mirror. Alec, don't let me go, I don't want to be alone, I don't want to be alone!" She buried her face in Alec shoulder and sobbed.

There was the sound of something like a lamp breaking downstairs, followed by a child's scream. Max. Jace went out the door, and Alec pulled Isabelle of her knees and they followed Jace down the stairs. When Alec reached the room, he found Max, headphones and comic on the ground, his back against the wall, with a terrified expression. But what was treeing him to the wall was even worse.

It looked like a woman, her skin pale and her back hunched, and it looked like she was speaking to Max, but Alec couldn't hear what she was saying. She was wearing a dirty and ripped white dress that looked like a hospital gown, and her tangled black hair was hanging in front of her face. Alec could smell the rancid meat smell they'd been forced to live with; it was stronger now than any other time, and Alec almost vomited. Jace, who had been standing frozen, took a step forward.

The woman turned her head quickly. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot, and her teeth were black and rotten when she bared them at the three standing in the doorway. She stood up straight and slowly brought up an arm, her finger pointing straight at Alec. Then, it seemed she was floating on air as she rapidly approached Alec, her face a few inches from his. Her breath was rancid as she spoke, her voice raspy and unused.

"You're next."

And then she vanished. They all just stood there, shocked and scared out of their minds. Alec's heart was pounding as he held his little sister tighter to him, not wanting to let go for fear that the ghost lady would drag him away from his family.

Jace was the first to recover, hurrying over to a crying Max and pulling him away from the wall and into his arms. He looked back at Alec. "What do we do now?"

Alec just stood there, his mouth open but no words coming out. He couldn't make words come out, they were just whimpers. "Max," Jace said softly. "What did she say to you?"

"S-she said," Max sniffed. "She said she w-wanted my brother d-dead." He leaned into Jace's chest. "She wants us all dead! She's going to kill us all! S-starting w-w-with A-Alec!"

Alec closed his eyes and swallowed. "It'll be okay," he breathed out at last. "I won't let anything happen to us. I promise."

* * *

**Sooooo...what'd you think? Review and ask me questions, and I will answer them. Thank you all for the reviews (11!) I really appreciate that you like this story (and I have to admit, I like it too) So, review and if I don't get to update before then, have a Merry Christmas!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! I know what you're thinking: OMG TWO CHAPTERS IN THE SAME WEEKEND?! Yeah. All of your FABULOUS REVIEWS prompted me to update early. Thank you so much for the reviews. I will now answer a few of them. **

**LadyHuntersMoon: My favorite Supernatural character is Castiel...and Crowley... I can't decide. I love them both! Oh yeah, and Dean. **

**The High Warlock: You'll have to wait and seeeeeeee! And thank you for the happy Christmas wishes. Actually, Christmas is Sara's favorite time of year; we always get some stuff outta her around this time of year. **

**I don't really like this chapter very much, but we do get Magnus in it! Yay! I hope you like it. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters. I'm just using them as my little puppets for the plot. :) **

* * *

This was bad.

This was really bad.

Alec didn't know what to do. He couldn't let this ling get his family. Sure, it was going to get him first, but that didn't matter to him. What did matter was the fact that after it was done with Alec, his siblings would be next. And Alec could not – would not – let that happen.

He mulled over his situation as he walked down the crowded university hallway to get to his class. He passed nameless people, couples kissing and holding hands, students studying last minute for tests. He passed the bulletin board that is located just outside of his classroom. Something – a flyer – caught his eye and he paused to look. A smile formed on his face as he swiftly took his phone out of his pocket and dialed Jace's number. "Hello?" Jace whispered on the other end. Alec knew he was in class right now, but it couldn't wait.

"Jace," Alec said, walking into his classroom and sitting down at his first-row seat, "what time does your last class end?"

"Three-thirty," he replied. "Why?

"Magnus Bane and Catarina Loss are giving a lecture at four."

"Aaaaand who are they?"

"Doesn't matter." Alec looked up to see the professor come in. "Just meet me in the court yard after class, okay?"

"Whatever." There was a click and the line went dead.

* * *

When they entered the auditorium, there were almost no seats left, and they had to sit in two seats near the top. Alec was grateful to get a seat at all; Jace, on the other hand, wasn't as grateful.

"What are we doing here?" He groaned. "Don't you have to go to work, anyway? Why do we need to see these people?"

A few weeks ago, Alec had gotten a job – well, two jobs; one working part-time at that diner, Taki's, as a waiter, and the other working behind the counter at some convenient store on weekends; both paid between five and ten dollars an hour, but it was a start until he got out of college. He'd pestered Jace to get a job too and help pay for the heating and stuff for the house, but no luck there. "I'm off today," Alec said, "and we're here so we can see what's going on in our house. Don't you want answers?"

"I do Alec, but I doubt these people can give them to us." He looked sideways at the guy next to him who had elbowed him in the ribcage. They guy didn't seem to notice he'd done anything. "They're crooks, Alec! They just want to make a little money. They'll tell any poor bastard anything if that means they get paid. I-" he cut off as two people, a man and a woman, came into the room and stood in front. The eager students fell quiet.

The man was tall with golden skin, and he was easily the most beautiful man Alec had ever seen. He was wearing red jeans with a purple shirt tucked in, and a red blazer, and…was that glitter? Yes, there was red glitter in his black spikey hair. "Who is this guy?" he heard Jace mutter, but he didn't care.

The woman wasn't dressed as flamboyantly as her business partner. She was wearing a simple blue dress, and her platinum-blond hair just reached her shoulders. She was a little shorter than the man. They talked a little as the man's eyes scanned the crowd.

Soon the lecture began, and Alec got lost in the man's honey-coated voice. So _he_ was Magnus Bane, the "famous ghost hunter." He actually didn't look like Alec thought he would; which was good, because Alec thought he would look more like a high school history teacher instead of a brightly dressed young man with glitter in his hair…and all over his face, it seemed like.

"Any questions?" Magnus asked after turning off the projector showing the video that Alec accidently forgot to watch because he was too busy fantasizing about what Magnus might look like up close. Alec blinked as a hundred hands went in the air. Wow, the video must've been interesting. Catarina pointed to one in the front row, and he stood and asked his question. Magnus answered by telling about how the cameraman dropped the camera on his head, and Alec stifled a laugh.

"This is so stupid," Jace muttered.

Alec tried to tune him out and focus on what Magnus was saying. "…for staying was to protect the children," he was saying, "and once that was done there was no reason for her to stay."

"She didn't do a very good job protecting Aline," Jace called out. Alec felt his face grow warm as Magnus looked in his direction. He dug his elbow into Jace's arm and held a finger to his lips, then turned back to find Magnus Bane looking right at him.

"Indeed she didn't," said Magnus, smirking. "But Aline wasn't a Blackthorn, therefore not her responsibility." Alec couldn't help the small smile he'd acquired at seeing someone put Jace in his place. Magnus smirked back at him, and he felt his face get warmer.

Jace stood up, and Alec silently prayed he wouldn't get them thrown out. "How do you know all this, anyway? Did Maria _tell _you? Can you see dead people?"

Magnus turned his head to his business partner and muttered something, then turned back to Jace. "Well," he said, "I, personally, can't see _dead people_, as you put it. I'm just a…paranormal researcher, one might say." Alec sat up straighter.

"That doesn't answer my question," Jace said.

"I was getting to that. My colleague is…well, she's special. She can…sense when something isn't quite right, or when another person, living or dead, is near her, or in the same room, or however you want to think of it. Psychic, she's been called. So, Maria _basically _made Catarina aware of her purpose, and then Catarina felt her leave."

Jace sat back down. "This is so fake. Can we just leave?"

That was it for Alec. "Would you shut it? No, we aren't leaving. I want to hear what this guy has to say and then we are going to get him to help us. Do you not want this thing out of our house? Do you just want me to die, and then follow me?" Jace grumbled and sank down in his seat. Alec continued to watch Magnus, and it seemed Magnus continued to watch him.

* * *

"Catarina, I've been thinking-"

"No."

"You don't even know what I was going to –"

"No."

Magnus was standing leaning up against the car, waiting on Ragnor to load up his stupid camera that he takes everywhere; Magnus bets he even takes it to the bathroom with him. Catarina was trying to help, which was really inconvenient since Magnus was trying to talk to her about something important. They had just finished their lecture, and now they were going back home, finally. Magnus was tired and really wanted a bath.

"Cat, just hear me out," Magnus said, rather childishly.

Catarina straightened up and Ragnor sighed. "Here we go," he muttered.

Magnus chose to ignore him. "I've been thinking…maybe we should have a team name, like that one boy suggested."

"A team name," Ragnor repeated flatly.

"Yes," said Magnus, "a team name. Now stop acting like a robotic parrot and start acting like an excited, non-robotic parrot!"

"Robotic parrot?" Catarina scrunched up her nose in confusion.

Magnus sighed. "Yes. Robotic Parrot describes Ragnor perfectly, because he insists on repeating after me in his dull tones, which is the reason he has no friends."

Ragnor made a noise of protest and crossed his arms over his chest. "I have friends."

Magnus gave a short laugh. "Name one."

"Catarina."

"He's right," Catarina chirped. By now Ragnor had his camera in the trunk and they were all just standing around.

Magnus turned his head up toward the sky and rolled his eyes. He knew for a fact that Ragnor only had six or seven friends in the whole world; Catarina, his mother, and the four – or maybe five, Magnus couldn't remember – children his mother was fostering.

He noticed a dark figure approaching the group and stared. This boy…was gorgeous. He had dark hair, and nice figure, though his clothes were atrocious. His dark sweater had holes in it, but it exposed his skin, so Magnus didn't care. He didn't even notice the blond boy walking next to him until he got closer, then he recognized them as the boy who'd annoyed him, and the boy who could possibly destroy him.

The boy stopped a few feet away from them. He bit his lip, wondering if it was okay to approach them any more or not. Magnus tilted his head and cleared his throat, signaling Ragnor and Catarina that they had visitors. "Well," he drawled, "if it isn't the nonbeliever. What can we do for you?"

The taller, dark-headed one shoved the blond with his shoulder, causing him to take a step forward. "I'm very sorry I said those things to you," he muttered, "even if I still maintain my opinion."

"What my brother is trying to say," the dark one said in an exasperated tone, "is that he is sorry for being rude, and that he hopes that you will help us with something?" The boy looked at Magnus with bright blue eyes. Mmm, black and blue. His favorite combination. There was something behind his hopeful gaze, a sort of terror, like if he didn't get Magnus's help there would be trouble. Now, he couldn't have that, could he?

"Wait," Ragnor said, "he's your brother? You look nothing alike."

"Thank you Ragnor, for that stunning deduction," Magnus said irritably. "Now," he said softly, "what do you need help with?"

The boy hesitated, looking down at the ground. Magnus felt a soft hand on his arm, and he turned to see Catarina by his side, a sorrowful look on her face. "W-well," the boy stuttered, "we moved into a new house about a month ago, and we think something is…could you just come and take a look? Please?" He looked to Magnus pleadingly, and Magnus' heart melted.

He looked at Cat, and then to the boy. "Can we have a minute to talk?" The boy nodded and pulled his brother away.

"Catarina, let's help them," Magnus said. "They look like they need it. I mean, they're just scared kids…"

Catarina nodded solemnly, looking at the dark-haired boy. "We should. There is…something wrong. They could use all the help they could get."

Magnus turned around swiftly. "Alright," he said, and the two boys looked at him, surprised. "We will help, but only because I think you're cute." He winked at the boy, causing him to blush, and got into the driver's seat of the car and started it, prompting the others to get in as well, for fear of being left at the university. As they drove off, Magnus looked back in the rearview mirror to see the boy still standing there, shocked but smiling.

* * *

As they pulled up to the house, Ragnor's jaw dropped. "Okay," he said, "we've been in some really creepy houses, and I mean _really _creepy, but this beats them all."

"Agreed," said Magnus. He got out of the car and looked around. Old creepy tree, check. Tire swing in old creepy tree, check. Creepy kid in tire swing in old creepy tree…check. The boy got out of the swing and ran into the house. A few minutes later, Magnus' black-haired beauty came out and approached them. "You know," Magnus said as a greeting, "I don't think I ever learned your name." He held out a hand. "I'm Magnus Bane."

The boy laughed but shook his hand nonetheless. Magnus felt his heart flutter. "Alec Lightwood."

"Hmm, that wouldn't be short for _Alexander_, would it?" Magnus practically purred. Alec blushed. Magnus took that as a yes.

"Magnus!" Catarina scolded. "Please, don't flirt with the clients."

"Especially the underage ones," Ragnor said.

"Uh," said Alec. "I'm…twenty."

Magnus raised his eyebrows. "Did you forget your age there for a second?" He looked around the property. All the trees looked dead, especially the one the kid was under. That one looked very sinister, and Magnus made it his mission to check it out…after he got done with Blue Eyes.

"No I – I just had a birthday." He seemed especially nervous, more than he had yesterday. "Uhm, I guess I will show you the house now."

He walked them to the front door. The porch creaked with the weight of all four of them, and Magnus was scared it might fall in with them. He led them to the living room, where there were three other people on the couch, wrapped in sleeping bags. Magnus felt a chill and shivered. "Yeah," said Alec from beside him, "it's really cold in here. We've just started sleeping down here in the living room because it's so cold…and we don't really want to be alone at – at night."

The girl on the couch got up and walked over to Magnus, holding out her hand. "Hi," she said as Magnus shook her hand. "I'm Isabelle, Alec's sister." The kid came up behind her and peered up at Magnus thoughtfully. "And this is Max." He smiled slightly at the mention of his name.

"Magnus Bane," he introduced himself, looking around the room. It was nice, like they'd put a lot of work into it. There were a few cobwebs here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary. He glanced back at Catarina to find her staring at Alec, who'd gone to stand with the blond. "What's wrong, Cat?"

"There's something…" she whispered. "There's something else. Here, in the house." She looked up at Magnus, and he could see something in her eyes, something he'd never seen before: fear.

"So," he said in an effort to break the tension building up, "what made you call us?"

Alec stiffened and looked down at his feet. "Max," he said quietly, "go outside." The small child opened his mouth to protest, but one look from his brother and he closed it, pushing past Ragnor to get outside. Ragnor, from the doorway, said, "Hey, I know that kid."

"What?" said Magnus. Alec's head shot up.

"Yeah, he was one of the kids my mother was fostering."

Magnus looked back at Alec, but said nothing. He didn't need to know the personal life of his client; that wasn't his business. He was just here to help.

"Whatever, Ragnor," he said. "Don't mind him, he doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut. Anyway, why don't you tell us about what's been going on? Start from the beginning."

* * *

**So, what'd you think? Like i said before, I don't like it much...but I think the next chapter will be better. I hope, anyway. Once again, thank you all for the lovely reviews, (Up to 17 now!) and I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas as this is the last time I will update this weekend. **

**Review more for me please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Okay, so no scary stuff in this chapter. Sorry. But I am getting up to it. Trust me on this. Enjoy this chapter! **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters. or a teeny tiny bit of the dialogue. (You'll see what I'm talking about :D) **

* * *

Alec didn't really know what to expect from these people, but this wasn't it. He and Max watched in awe as the guy called Ragnor set up different cameras and devices around the living room, pausing occasionally to cast a glance at the larger camera he'd sat on the couch. Alec looked at it. It was one of those black shoulder mounted camcorders with the millions of little buttons. It looked relatively new. Alec tentatively reached over and gently touched one of the buttons. A hand came down and smacked his away, making him jump.

"Don't touch her," Ragnor growled, looking down on Alec with a sort of protective fury.

Alec heard a snort from the doorway and looked to see Magnus, whose eyebrow was raised. "I forgot about Sweetie when I was composing your list of few friends." He smirked when Ragnor huffed and went back to his work.

"Sweetie?" Alec asked.

"The camera," Magnus answered with an eye roll, more toward the ridiculous name than the question, Alec hoped. He looked over at Max, who was stifling a laugh behind his hand, his eyes shining. Alec smiled as well.

"At least she's devoted," Ragnor muttered, looking around the room. "Is there a screwdriver somewhere? Ah." He found what he was looking for on the coffee table. Isabelle had graciously laid out everything that might be helpful for their investigation.

"Did I mention you talk about her in your sleep?" Magnus preened.

At this Alec laughed out loud, and Magnus's eyes met his own. He blushed. Magnus winked, making him blush more.

There was a sound, and a voice called Magnus's name. He turned and went in the other room, leaving Alec wondering. Did Magnus have a boyfriend? Wait, what? Where did that come from? He just hired Magnus to get rid of whatever's in his house; he can't think like that. Although, Magnus is funny…and charming…and _very_ attractive…

Alec shook himself out of it when he saw Magnus and Catarina walk out the front door. He casually walked to the window and peered out at them. Ragnor had moved to where he was trying to reach over Alec to attach a small surveillance camera to the top of the window. He grunted when he couldn't reach that far up: he was just a few inches shorter than Alec, about the same height as Jace and Izzy. He put the small camera next to "Sweetie" and disappeared around the corner of the doorway. Alec looked around the room to find that he was the only person in it; Max had gone outside and was running down the hill, probably to get to his friend Riley's house. He had met her in school and everyday he would come home and talk about her. Apparently she lived in the house next to Clary's.

Alec brought his gaze back to Magnus and Catarina. They seemed close; his hand was on her shoulder, and her hand was resting on his. They were discussing something. When Ragnor rounded the corner again, this time carrying a chair from the kitchen table, Alec made it a point to ask about their relationship.

Ragnor snorted a laugh. "Magnus? And Catarina?" He cackled. "Don't be absurd. Catarina would never go for him, because he is a fool and he is a player." He hummed some tune as he climbed up on the chair, screwdriver in his mouth, and proceeded to put up the camera, angling it toward the door.

Alec looked back out the window to find Magnus looking back at him, a curious look in his eyes. Startled, Alec looked down at his shoes. When he was sure Magnus was looking away from him, he brought his gaze back up. Ragnor got down from the chair and stood beside him for a moment, watching with him. Alec turned his head slightly. "He's a player?"

Ragnor's eyebrows furrowed. "Well, not _really_," he said carefully, "but he has had a lot of lovers." He turned and went out of the room, taking Sweetie with him. Alec stood in place for a moment, stunned that someone still used the word "lover," then continued looking out the window.

* * *

When Magnus followed Catarina out, they stopped at the large dead-looking oak tree in the front yard, the one with the tire swing. The little boy, Max, ran past them in a hurry to get somewhere, and Magnus hoped he wouldn't get run over by a car or something on his way there. He saw Catarina shutter, and put a hand on her shoulder. "What is it?"

"Something…very bad," she said at last, placing her hand on his. She turned around to face him, and froze. She seemed to scrunch down, squeezing Magnus's hand a little tighter. She peered, horrified, at the largest branch holding the tire swing. The branch loomed over Magnus' head.

"What is it, Cat?" She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Instead she made a little sound, like a cat in distress, and shook her head. That made Magnus aware that he didn't really want to know what she could see. "Do you know what is going on here?" he asked.

"It…" she blinked, and seemed to relax, straightening up. "I don't know what it is, Magnus. We still need to do more research on this house. But what I do know is that they are all in danger. Especially the oldest." Magnus turned at the mention of Alec and looked at the house. To his satisfaction, he saw Alec in the window, looking at them with interest and…something else, something close to jealousy. Alec looked down, and Magnus felt butterflies in his stomach. Alec was so adorable it killed him.

He looked back at Catarina. "What do you mean?"

"This…_dark _entity has latched itself onto him. I don't know what it is, but we need to get it away from him before it hurts him, or makes him hurt others." Catarina looked around the yard. "There are others too, other spirits and entities. They are all trying to get my attention, but there is one that is stronger than the others. I felt it when I went into Isabelle's bedroom."

"She has quite the wardrobe, doesn't she?" Magnus said cheerfully.

Catarina smacked his arm. "Magnus, focus!"

About that time, they heard the front door open, and turned. Alec was carrying two plates of something over to them. Sandwiches.

He stopped in front of them. "Hey," he said.

"Hey yourself," Magnus said, smirking. Catarina cast a glance at him. He knew what she was thinking. _Don't flirt with the clients, Magnus!_ Blah blah blah.

"I, uh, brought sandwiches in case you were hungry. Jace was, and he made me fix them so Isabelle didn't have to set foot in the kitchen." He gave a little nervous laugh and held the plates toward them. Magnus took one, nodding his thank you. Catarina took hers as well.

Magnus bit into his and hummed, smiling. "You know," he said one he'd swallowed. "I don't think I've had peanut butter and jelly since I was in college." He glanced at Catarina to find she was smiling too. "Thank you."

Alec nodded and slowly turned and made his way back to the house. Catarina sighed. "I felt it," she said softly. "It's so strong. I'm afraid for him."

"What do we do?"

"Well, we'll have to do some research. Then, we may just have to perform and exorcism."

Magnus almost choked on his sandwich. "On Alec?" he coughed.

"On the house," she said. "Or…maybe on him, if we don't get there in time."

Magnus was breathing heavily. He'd never performed one of those before. He'd seen it done, but that was in an old video, and he'd been sitting in a classroom with forty other scared students like him. In college, he'd hoped he'd never have to see that again.

"Well," he said finally, a little shakily, "we'll do whatever it takes, right?"

"We always do," Catarina agreed.

* * *

Magnus couldn't keep his eyes off Alec the rest of the day. Alec seemed so interested in their process: it was so cute. Ragnor had set up their computers and things in the living room, and there were cameras in every room in the house, much to Jace's dismay. He complained that he didn't like the possibility that they could be watching him sleep; he maintained that what he did in his room was his business, and that he didn't want to be spied on. Magnus had told him to stop acting like a little blond bitch and deal with it. That comment made Alec snigger behind his hand, and that made Magnus's heart soar. Just seeing him laugh in the midst of all this was just…refreshing. Although, he might not be laughing when Magnus and Catarina told him what they had discussed earlier.

Eventually Magnus caught his eye and nodded in the direction of the kitchen, away from the kids (and Catarina and Ragnor, who were actually supposed to be working) watching TV.

Alec brushed past him going out. Catarina noticed them leaving and followed, leaving a cackling Ragnor with the kids, watching some movie. Magnus had to pause and marvel at him. He'd never seen Ragnor laugh like that, not even when he was making fun of Magnus.

When Magnus finally entered the kitchen, it seemed that Catarina had already told him the news. They both looked at him; Alec, pale and frozen in fear; Catarina, sorrowfully and regretful. "I, uh…" Magnus said.

"Okay," said Alec, blowing out a shaky breath. "Okay, I…I can handle this. As long as I don't let it…possess me, or whatever, we'll be safe, right?" There was that damn look that Alec insisted on giving Magnus, as if he knew that Magnus was a sucker for blue-eyed black-haired men in a state of distress. Did he really have that look about him?

Catarina looked between them, and rolled her eyes at Magnus. He cleared his throat and subtly shook his head. Catarina looked unconvinced, but was willing to let the subject go. It's not as though Magnus were lying to his friend; there really wasn't anything going on between him and Alec. Yet.

Magnus clapped his hands together. "Research. We need to do research. We need to…go to the library; we need to…talk to locals. We need to find out whatever we can."

"There's a library a couple of blocks over," said a voice from the doorway.

Magnus jumped at the sudden sound from right behind him. "Jesus!"

"No," said a boy, "just me."

He had his fists scrunched up in his pockets, and was looking very uncomfortable. He was wearing an old faded _Star Wars_ t-shirt and jeans. His glasses were hanging off his nose, and he used a finger to push them back up. His whole appearance screamed _Nerd!_ to Magnus. He raised an eyebrow.

Alec took a step forward. "What are you doing here? I thought you were afraid of the house."

The nerd was about to speak when Isabelle poked her head up over his shoulder. "I told them not to come," she said, walking around so they could get a better view of her. "But they insisted. They want to help." She shrugged. "Clary is in the living room with the others." She looked down and carefully intertwined their hands. The nerd gave a little shaky and surprised laugh. Magnus thought, _Interesting._

Alec, apparently, didn't notice this. "When did they come in? I didn't here the door open."

Magnus had wanted to say, _With all due respect, you had just been told that an evil demon-ghost thing could easily possess you at any time. That could come as a shock to anyone._ Instead he said, "Good! Locals we can talk to!"

"I believe introductions are in order," Isabelle said. "Magnus, this is Simon. Simon, this is Magnus Bane and Catarina Loss."

"Good to meet you, Sherman," said Magnus.

"Actually, its-" Sherman – or whatever his name is – was cut off when Magnus no longer cared. He went into the living room to join the others and found the addition of a little redheaded girl, sitting next to Trace, or whatever his name was, Magnus had already forgotten.

He plopped down on the large sofa next to Ragnor, who was still absorbed in whatever movie this was. On his other side was the youngest Lightwood, absorbed in some sort of comic. In this dark room, Magnus was almost afraid he'd ruin his eyesight, just reading by the light of the TV, so Magnus leaned over him and turned on the lamp that was sitting on a little table on Max's other side. Max shot him a grateful look, and did a double take. He looked down at his book, then back up at Magnus. "You look kind of like the characters in my manga," he said in a sort of awestruck voice.

Magnus wasn't sure what manga was, really, so he wasn't sure if he should take that as a compliment. Eventually he decided that even if it wasn't, the characters in that book were pretty good looking, so he said, "Thanks."

This made the boy smile, and prompted a tale about a demon who had formed some contract with a boy was posing as his butler, and when the boy's parents were avenged the demon was allowed to consume the boy's soul. Magnus wasn't really listening, but he wasn't sure he wanted to when it got to the 'consuming the child's soul' part.

He looked up when he heard other people enter. Sherwood must've gotten over his shock, because he followed Isabelle into the room. Catarina and Alec later came in, Catarina smirking her evil smirk. She leaned down and whispered in Magnus's ear, "You're welcome."

Magnus wanted to ask her what she'd meant, but one glance at Alec and he didn't have to. The boy was a blushing mess, and wouldn't meet Magnus's eye. Magnus looked at Catarina, who was still smirking. She winked at him and turned her attention to the TV. Magnus shook his head. First she says not to flirt, and then she totally sets him up. That girl was such a hypocrite.

* * *

**So there it was. I enjoyed all of your reviews (25 now! I'm so excited!) and you just might get another chapter _early_ if I get prompted enough. **

**See you next weekend! (If I'm not prompted. If I am, see you...maybe sometime tomorrow or Monday) **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Another update! Thank you thank you thank you for the wonderful reviews I love every one who reviewed and I really ****appreciate it guys! Okay, so at approximately 3,280 words, this is the longest chapter I have ever written in my entire life. I hope you like it. **

**Disclaimer: these wonderful characters aren't mine, they are CC's. **

* * *

"Alright," said Magnus, "what can you tell me about the house?"

They were sitting in the local library, at one of the circular tables in the back of the room behind the large shelves of books. Magnus was relaxed in his chair, gazing at the two teenagers with cool interest. His arms were crossed behind his head, looking as though he were sunbathing in the fluorescent lights above him.

Clary and Sherman – Magnus was fairly sure those were the names, anyway – blinked back at him. They were making no attempt to answer him. Magnus sighed and looked over at his other companions. Catarina had brought her laptop, and was furiously typing at a different table a few feet away from Magnus; her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. Ragnor leaned over her, watching contently.

At another table was Alec, hunched down over a book, his hair slightly in front of his eyes. He hadn't had any classes since it was 4:00 on a Friday afternoon, and had insisted he come along. Magnus mentally envisioned himself getting bored with these two kids (that part wasn't really imagination) and walking over and sitting down next to him. Magnus would suavely brush his hair back, earning a look of surprise and most likely an adorable blush. They would engage in small talk, their mission all but forgotten. The laugh that Magnus had gotten the pleasure of hearing occasionally over the past few days would make the boy's beautiful blue eyes sparkle and would echo in Magnus's ear. At which point Magnus would not hold back any longer, and lean in and…

He shook himself out of his little fantasy. He really had to control himself. Clary and Sylvester were looking at him funny. Magnus cleared his throat and composed himself, straightening up. "Well?"

"It's been there since…at least the 1800s," Clary said. "The house, I mean. It's big and scary, and no one ever goes up there." She shrugged.

"I totally knew it was haunted," said Sean. Clary dug her elbow into his ribs. "Ow! Okay, that doesn't really help – "

"We'd heard stories," said Clary, "all our lives."

"What were the stories?" Magnus asked, slightly distracted because Isabelle and Max had returned from exploring, going over to their brother. Isabelle sat down in the spot Magnus had sat in during his fantasy. They talked in hushed voices, and Magnus would give anything to be a part of the conversation.

"Some witch lived there," Sherman said. "She hung herself in that big black tree in the front yard. One of my friends told me she sacrificed her husband to Satan." He looked uncomfortable. Magnus felt the same way. He'd always felt uneasy when it came to sacrificial rituals, whether it was animals or, more rarely but not uncommon, people. He felt a shudder run through him.

"Magnus," Catarina called. He looked up and met her uneasy gaze. Ragnor looked the same way. Magnus gulped. "Come here."

Magnus got up slowly and walked to their table, stopping next to Ragnor and facing the computer screen. There was an old black-and-white photo of a big house in the woods, looking slightly ragged. Upon further inspection, Magnus realized it was Alec's house. The caption at the bottom read _Hastings Residence, August 4__th__, 1829. _"Wow," he murmured. "It was in worse shape even before it was abandoned. Does that say 1829?"

"Yes," said Ragnor. "That's when the picture was taken." He rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed that Magnus didn't have enough sense to figure that out.

Magnus blew out an annoyed breath. "I got that, thanks."

"Stop it, you two," Catarina warned. "Listen to this, Magnus." She pointed at the screen as she spoke. "It says that Elijah and Theodosia Hastings were found dead on August 3rd, 1829. They found Theodosia hanging from a very poorly tied noose in a tree in their front yard." She looked back at Magnus with something in her eyes that Magnus couldn't really place. Ragnor put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. _Interesting_, Magnus thought, but that didn't really matter at the moment.

"Is…is that what you saw? The other day?" Catarina said nothing, and that clued Magnus in.

"Anyway," said Catarina, shaking herself off. "They found Elijah inside the house, his throat slit, and surrounded by different symbols and a lot of candles. There was a kitchen knife a few feet away from him." She scrolled down to a picture of the crime scene. It was black and white, but Magnus could still make out the different symbols. There was a body on the floor right next to a fireplace, and it looked like there were symbols on the floor under him. Actually, he looked as though he were lying on a pentagram.

Magnus shuddered. "Well, that proves that what Seamus was telling me is actually true."

Ragnor looked at him. "Who's Seamus?"

"Never mind that," Catarina snapped, her patience visibly wearing thin. "This isn't even the worst part." She gestured wildly at the screen. "Take a look at this." She scrolled down even further.

She came upon a picture of a man and a woman, dressed in old farmer's clothing, looking sinister at the camera, or whatever took the picture. The man was slightly taller than the woman. Even though the man had an arm around the woman's waist, they seemed distant. "Oh look," Magnus drawled. "They make such a happy couple."

"Look closer, Magnus," Catarina urged. Magnus leaned down to get a closer look. "Recognize anybody?"

Magnus gasped and grabbed blindly at the back of Catarina's chair, looking for something to brace himself. The man in the photo…the black hair (or at least Magnus assumed it was black)…the high cheekbones…the full lips… The man in the photo was…

"Alec," Magnus breathed.

* * *

Alec's sister squeezed his hand. His younger brother leaned his head on his shoulder. His adoptive brother leaned against the window, obviously wishing Clary was here. Magnus watched as no one moved, and it scared him.

He'd just told Alec what they'd found at the library. Alec didn't say a word; he only stared off into space. Isabelle looked up at Magnus. "Is that why he's being targeted? Because he looks like this Elijah guy?"

Magnus didn't answer. He kept thinking about that photo. They had printed it off before they left the library. Should he show Alec? Ask if that was the woman he saw? He dug around in his pocket and pulled out the crumpled up picture. He handed it to Alec, but Isabelle snatched it from his hand and unfolded it. She swallowed and handed the photo to Alec. He gazed at it for a long time, and Magnus really wanted to comfort him. Jace blew out a breath. "We need to get out of here. Just being here gives me the creeps. I told you, Alec, this was a bad idea."

"Jace," Isabelle said.

"No, he's right." Alec said softly.

"I usually am," said Jace. "Why you people never listen to me, I don't know."

Isabelle stood up and pointed a finger at her adopted brother. "Shut up, Jace. No one needs your snarky comments right now, especially not Alec!"

Magnus turned his head when he heard something go _thump_ upstairs. It was probably Catarina and Ragnor, who were rooting around the rooms. It was close to dark now, and they had better either get going or set up for the night. But Jace was right (as much as Magnus didn't want to admit): the Lightwoods needed to get out of the house before something bad happens.

He heard the staccato thump of feet hurrying down the stairs, and Catarina's head appeared in the doorway, giving Magnus a look that said to follow her. Magnus gave a short nod and took a step forward. Alec must've caught either her look or his nod, because he got up and went out the door and started up the stairs. Magnus practically ran to catch up with him, grabbing his arm and pulling him backwards. "Are you sure you can handle what might be up there?" he asked in a low voice. Alec looked at him, but his eyes were unfocused. Magnus let go and he hurried up the steps.

Catarina and Ragnor were in Isabelle's room, standing around her vanity. Catarina looked up and handed Magnus a tiny black and white picture. "They had a daughter," she said gravely.

"But… The article didn't say anything about a kid," said Magnus, looking down at the picture. The girl was about seven or eight, in a little white gown. She was also barefoot. She did look rather familiar, though…

Alec leaned over Magnus's shoulder to look at the picture in his hand. Magnus turned his head slightly, his nose almost brushing Alec's hair. He smelled like soap and, mmm, mint. He heard Alec make a little sound, like a distressed cat, and bolted from the room. Magnus ran after him, dropping the photograph.

* * *

When Magnus finally caught up with Alec, he'd made it all the way down the hill, and was now sitting on the sidewalk, facing the road in the dark. Magnus paused a moment, looking at the scared boy in front of him.

Alec had his knees pulled up to his chest, his head resting on them. He was rocking slightly, and Magnus could hear little sobs. He went over to him and silently sat down on the sidewalk. For a long while they said nothing.

Alec's head became visible in the streetlight when he finally brought it back up. He looked in Magnus's direction and jumped back. Evidently, he hadn't noticed Magnus was there. This gave Magnus the odd feeling of being a creepy stalker.

"Sorry," Magnus said when Alec finally caught his breath. "I should've announced my presence." He chuckled, but it died when he saw Alec's expressionless face.

Alec shook his head and stared at the black road. There were hardly any cars going by, despite it being only about 7:00. "The picture…" Alec whispered.

"What about it?" Magnus asked. "It seemed to thoroughly freak you out."

"It just…" he blew out a breath. "It looked exactly like Isabelle when she was that age." He looked at Magnus. "Maybe I'm being stupid, maybe they don't have any relation, but…"

Magnus reached out, hesitated, but then put his hand on Alec's shoulder. It might've been his imagination, but he could've sworn he felt a shiver run through Alec's body. Or maybe it was his own…

"I don't know," Magnus answered honestly. "I really don't know how we're going to get you through this, but believe me, we are going to do anything we can."

Magnus looked in Alec's eyes, then let his own eyes travel down his perfectly chiseled face and rested on his full lips, parted slightly and so full of possibilities that could alter their future forever. Magnus didn't know if he was doing it, or if Alec was, but somehow their faces were getting closer to each other. Just when Magnus thought his fantasy was (more or less) coming true, Magnus's cell phone rang.

Alec jumped back. Magnus silently put a curse on whoever was calling. May their love life always be as complicated as his. He looked down and found that Catarina was calling. Well, even without a curse her love life was complicated, so mission accomplished. "What do you want, Catarina?"

"Magnus, you and Alec had better get back."

"What? What's going – " But Catarina was gone. She'd gotten into the habit of hanging up the phone without warning.

Magnus stood up, and Alec stood with him. "They need us," Magnus said shortly. Together they ran back up the hill to the house.

* * *

When Magnus opened the door, a picture almost took his head off. It smashed against the door, and glass trickled onto the floor. Alec made a little sound and pushed past Magnus to get inside. He went into the living room where the source of the screams was. Magnus jogged into the living room after him.

In the room, the people they had left were all cuddled in a far corner of the room. Ragnor and Catarina were in front of Jace and Isabelle. Max was hidden and couldn't be seen behind Izzy.

All around the room, things were flying by themselves. The cameras Ragnor had set up were smashing into walls. Pillows from the couch were whirling around, occasionally hitting Ragnor in the face. Under any other circumstances, Magnus would've thought it was funny.

Things started zipping around the room faster. The furniture started tipping over, and then slamming into walls. The TV came off its stand and smashed into the far wall, just over the terrified group's heads. Black shards rained down on them.

Alec started, but then was thrown back against the wall behind him. Magnus was sure he heard something crack, whether it was the wall or Alec's back, he wasn't sure. Alec had a pained expression, so it must've been his back.

"Alexander!" said Magnus, and tried to move into the room, but it was like there was a force field surrounding the room, blocking him out.

The flying objects seemed to be picking up speed for a moment, and then everything went still. The things in the air dropped to the ground, as if someone had just flipped the gravity switch. Everything was eerily quiet. Alec had slid down the wall, and was now on the floor, taking a moment to recover. Magnus found that he was now able to move, and went to help Alec stand. With a wince of pain, he stood, nodded thanks to Magnus, and went to his siblings, who had now come out of their tight little huddle.

Max immediately went for Alec, wrapping his small arms around his waist. Alec was talking in low voices with Jace and Isabelle. Catarina walked over to Magnus, pausing only to take a brief look back at Ragnor, who was looking mournfully down at his broken camcorders.

"What caused this?" Magnus asked.

Catarina shook her head. "I don't know. I guess it was Theodosia."

"What do we do, Cat? It is obviously getting more violent. We can't let this get out of hand. We need to do…_something_!" Magnus ran his hands through his hair.

Without another word to him, Catarina walked over to the Lightwoods. Magnus followed hesitantly. "Is everyone okay?" she asked gently. There were some nods. " I think, maybe until we get this under control, that you need to leave."

"Leave the house?" Jace asked.

Catarina gave a nod. "It would be safer. This…entity is trying to weaken Alec, make him more susceptible for possession. It seems it is going about that by trying to hurt his family. I think it would be best that you all leave. Tonight," she added. They glanced at each other. "I'll leave you to think about it." She turned and went to help Ragnor collect his broken cameras. Magnus could hear Ragnor sniveling, and wanted to slap him. This wasn't about him.

The Lightwoods conferred quietly among themselves. Magnus found himself thinking about he and Alec's almost-kiss, and found himself wondering if that opportunity would ever present itself again. He desperately wanted it to, sometime – but hopefully not too far – in the future.

Almost as if he knew Magnus was thinking about him, Alec looked up at Magnus. There was a question in his clear blue eyes. _Do you think we should leave?_ they seemed to ask. Magnus gave a reluctant nod, making a mental reminder that if this is the last time he were to see Alexander Lightwood in the near future, track him down and ask him out. Whatever it takes, because Magnus is not about to let this beautiful broken boy slip through his fingers.

"Alright," said Alec. "Get your stuff. We'll check into a motel."

Then something odd happened. Right before Magnus's eyes, strands of Isabelle's hair began to rise in the air. Alec's eyes widened. "Izzy – " Jace said. He held out a hand to her, but she was out of his reach before he could get to her.

By her hair, she was dragged on the floor in Magnus's direction, but just before she got to him she was pulled sharply away, and slammed against the wall, her screams echoing through the house. She went flying to the back wall, over Catarina and Ragnor's heads. Everyone held out hands and chased after her. She was slammed into the far wall over and over again.

Magnus acted. He ran to the kitchen and scrambled about in the drawers, looking for something to cut her hair free. His hands found scissors. He ran back in to find Izzy's screams had gotten worse. Everyone in the room was holding her down, except Max, who was standing in the corner, scared as hell. Magnus felt for the poor kid.

He ran over to where Izzy was on the floor, and he gingerly but hurriedly cut the strands that were being pulled off. The hair fell to the floor, and Isabelle cried into her brother's shoulder. Everything fell quiet again.

Max took a step forward, but Magnus held out a hand. There was broken glass and things everywhere, and the last thing he needed was Max getting hurt too.

The next thing Magnus was aware of was a warm presence next to him. To his surprise, it was Alec. Magnus looked back at Isabelle. Tears were no longer running down her face, but her lip was trembling slightly as she talked with Jace. Magnus looked at Alec. "She's a fighter, huh?"

Alec said nothing, only picked up one of Magnus's hands. "You're bleeding."

Magnus looked down at his hand and found that he was, in fact, bleeding. There was a small cut on the back of his hand, and blood was running out of it. "Oh," he said, rather indifferent. "It must've been when I was rummaging around to find scissors." He shrugged. "It's going to take a lot more than a little scratch to kill me."

Pulling Magnus along, Alec walked out of the living room and into the kitchen, where he dropped Magnus's hand and went through a few drawers, looking for something. A few seconds later, he brought out a small little packet containing Band-Aids. He took one out and carefully put it on Magnus's hand. Magnus let out a little chuckle. "Thank you. You know I – "

Magnus was interrupted when Alec's hand went to his cheek, and Alec pressed his lips to his. He stood there, shocked for a moment that Alexander Lightwood was standing in his kitchen, kissing him, right after they had a freaking paranormal episode, or whatever it's called, Magnus couldn't form a coherent thought at this point. Alec started to pull away, maybe because Magnus wasn't kissing back. Magnus couldn't have that, now, could he? He kissed Alec back, his lips moving with Alec's, their teeth and tongues clashing together. Alec was maybe and inch shorter than him, and they fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Magnus placed a hand on Alec's chest, just above heart. He could feel it beating wildly.

Then just like that, it was over, and Alec took a small step back, but was still close enough that Magnus could feel Alec's warm breath blowing on him. "Thank you," Alec whispered quietly. Magnus swallowed, a little out of breath.

Alec slipped past him and went back into the living room, leaving Magnus standing there, frozen. He put a hand to his tingling lips, his heart at about the same speed as Alec's. What the _hell _just happened?

* * *

**I feel a bit like Magnus when it came to this ending. I have no idea where it came from; that was not how I imagined the first Malec kiss for this story _at all_, but I just started writing, and I didn't stop. *bites lip and looks around* Really hope you liked the chapter. Review please (I'm at 35, and couldn't be happier. Then again, I could if I get in the 40s) XD **


	8. Chapter 8

**What up guys? Been a while, I know. I've been getting back into the swing of things since school restarted last week, and it's been hard. But, I finally made it, and I do have to say, this chap is a whopper. I mean, I thought the last one was long, but this one beats that one. So, at 3,607 words (not counting the ones in bold) and my longest chap yet, the next chapter. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Don't ownTMI****. If I did, my OTP would never have broken up and Simon would never have lost his memory, but he wouldn't be a vampire either. **

* * *

They hurriedly packed their bags, and had them and their selves loaded up in the car, honking and waiting impatiently to leave. They were waiting on Alec.

Magnus watched from the doorway as Alec fumbled around his bedroom with his suitcase, packing his ratty sweaters and jeans slowly, and looking around to make sure he got everything. Magnus knew Alec was stalling, but he couldn't figure out why.

"Better hurry," Magnus said. "They might leave you." He let his lips form a ghost of a smile.

Alec mumbled something unintelligible as he grabbed his suitcase and made for the door. Magnus moved out of the way to let him pass, and his hand brushing Magnus's as he did, sending little sparks up his arm. Halfway to the stairs Alec turned, causing Magnus to almost run into him. "I just…" he murmured. "I just don't feel right about leaving you." He looked up, and Magnus almost got lost in the depths of his eyes.

"Don't worry about me," Magnus whispered reassuringly. "I do this all the time." Granted, he'd never dealt with a spirit – or demon – quite as powerful as this before. But he was _not_ about to tell Alec that. "This is my job."

Alec closed his eyes and tilted his head up, and Magnus thought he was going to get treated to another kiss, but then a very loud female voice hollered through the open front door, "Come on, Alec!" Alec groaned and quickly walked down the stairs.

Out of the corner of his eye, Magnus caught a flash of movement. He turned his head in time to see a flicker of something – said something vaguely resembled a hand, and maybe a flick of dark hair – in the doorway of Isabelle's old bedroom. Magnus walked over and looked inside, but there was nothing. It seemed the young Hastings daughter wanted to make herself known to him. He narrowed his eyes, but turned and left the room.

Alec was heading out the door as Magnus descended the stairs. The step under his foot creaked, and Alec looked up. Magnus made a little shooing motion with his hands. Alec's mouth quirked up at the corners.

He had just reached the door, when suddenly Alec was thrown back a few feet; his suitcase went flying out the open door. Alec got up but then fell again, face first, his right foot going backward as though someone had pulled it out from under him. Ragnor and Catarina appeared, looking dismayed as they watched.

Magnus found himself frozen as Alec pulled back, his right foot up as an invisible force dragged him backwards. His arms were above his head, and he was leaving claw marks on the floor as he attempted to get friction. Then, by his feet he was slung against the wall just next to the kitchen door, and was dropped to the floor.

It was then that Magnus could move, taking the remaining steps two at a time. He had reached the boy at the same time as Ragnor. Only Catarina stood in her place, wringing her hands together.

Magnus heard voices at the door and knew it was Alec's concerned siblings, wondering what they had just witnessed and where their brother was now. He didn't turn his head away from the boy, who was unconscious. He did hear one thing said by Catarina, however.

"It seems Theodosia won't let him leave,' she said in her gentle voice. Magnus had always said if she hadn't gone into paranormal research she would've become a nurse.

Catarina encouraged the kids to leave; they'd take care of Alec. "Ragnor," Magnus muttered, "go turn the couch upright, and put the pillows and things back on it. Get it ready so we can lay Alec on it."

"Already done," said Ragnor. "What do you think Cat and I were doing in there all this time? Kissing?"

"Well…"

Ragnor jabbed him with his elbow. "No. Do you need help getting him?" He nodded at the boy, whose head was now in Magnus's lap.

Magnus shook his head as he gathered the boy in his arms. He carried Alec to the couch and laid him down as gently as he could. On his knees in front of Alec, Magnus brushed some of the black hair out of the boy's eyes, then ran his hand through the boy's hair once or twice. Catarina came by and placed a wet cloth on Alec's forehead. Magnus looked around and found a blanket on the floor. He picked it up and covered Alec. The boy let out a little sound, like a moan crossed with a purr of pleasure. He started murmuring something unintelligible, which, Magnus noticed, he did a lot. There was a word, though, that Magnus did catch.

"Magnus," Alec whispered faintly.

Magnus found himself smiling down at him. He didn't know why, but he wanted to wait there until Alec woke up, wanted to make sure he was all right, wanted to protect him at all cost. At that moment, the breath-taking realization set in, and Magnus gave a little inaudible gasp.

Magnus was in love.

* * *

There was a sharp pain in the back of his head, so much so that he didn't want to open his eyes. He was warm and comfortable and didn't care what the world was doing. He refused to wake up and face reality. Reality was scary; reality was boring; reality was not something he wanted to deal with right now, especially with his headache. So instead he rolled over on his side, trying to get away from it all. His nose brushed something worn and velvety. Instead of questioning it, he buried his face in it.

"Alexander?" a very soft and familiar voice behind him inquired. "Alec, are you okay?"

Something brushed through Alec's hair and he hummed contentedly, turning back over so that he was on his back again. He chanced opening his eyes and found that his vision was just as he expected: blurry. A head swam into view, but it was a muddle of tan and black. The only thing Alec could see with somewhat clarity were a pair of beautiful green-gold orbs staring down at him worriedly. "M-Magnus?" Alec croaked. His throat was scratchy and dry. He could really use some water.

As if Magnus could read his mind, he leaned down and produced a glass of water. Alec carefully took it and put it to his lips. He watched Magnus watch him, concerned, as he downed the whole glass. Magnus took it back and set it in its spot on the floor beside him.

Alec's vision was starting to get better, and he could now see Magnus's face pretty well, but his headache got worse. He put his hand to his head and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will the pain away. Magnus noticed and put a hand on Alec's shoulder, guiding him to lie back down. "You might have a concussion," he muttered. "Unfortunately I don't know the symptoms of one, so I can't tell if you do or not." Alec didn't speak, just gazed up at Magnus. "What do you remember?" Magnus asked.

"Uh…" Alec shook his head, trying to think. He shut his eyes, and thought about what had happened. He remembered looking up at Magnus on the stairs, feeling regret about leaving, but knowing it was the right choice. He remembered seeing Izzy and Jace and Max in the car, their confused looks when a hand or something tightened around Alec's ankle. He must've gotten a weird look on his face, causing their confusion. But where were they now?

He looked at Magnus. "I…uh…don't remember much after I went flying through the air. But where are my siblings? Are they alright?"

"They're fine," Magnus reassured. "Catarina convinced them that it was better for them to leave; that we'd take care of you. They are in a very nice motel I set them up with. You can call them anytime you want."

"But why am I still here?"

Magnus raised his eyebrows, feigning hurt. "You don't like being with me?"

"I- it's not that – " He stammered. "I mean – "

"Relax, I know what you mean." He paused, his eyes looking for the right words. "She won't let you leave the house," he practically whispered.

Alec didn't need to be told who _she_ was. He involuntarily scrunched up his nose in disgust and huffed. "But wait," he said. "She let me leave the house before."

Magnus swallowed. "And she practically tore the house down. Look around you, Alexander." His arm swept wildly around the room, and Alec rose up a little to look.

Pictures were broken and shards were all over the floor. The TV was lying shattered over in the corner of the room. The other furniture was lying haphazardly around the living room, broken beyond repair. The only upturned thing in the room was the couch, but even it didn't have all the pillows on it; they were also lying about the room. "She was going to hurt your family, Alec," said Magnus quietly. "It's either keep you here, or risk your family."

Alec nodded. "You made the right choice. No doubt they put up a fight to stay with me."

Magnus nodded. "That sister of yours is quite the fighter. But I believe I've told you that before." He smiled gently, and Alec felt his heart flutter.

He thought back to earlier that night. Magnus had said something along the lines of Isabelle being a fighter, but Alec wasn't really listening. He'd found himself staring down at Magnus's hands, and noticed a cut running across the back of it. He'd pointed it out to Magnus, who'd just brushed it off. Then Alec realized that he had Band-Aids, and it was the perfect opportunity to get Magnus alone; something he'd wanted to do since he'd met the sparkly man. He'd led Magnus into the kitchen and put a plain old Band-Aid on Magnus's hand.

He didn't know what happened. Maybe it was just because they were so close together, and Magnus's scent – sandalwood and cinnamon – was driving him mad. Maybe it was because he had just gone through a very traumatic ordeal and was still in shock. But whatever the reason, Alec knew he'd lost his mind, because he kissed Magnus Bane, right there in his kitchen. And _Alec_ was the one to instigate it, which surprised him because he never took initiative in anything, especially not _boys_. And, as much as he didn't want to admit it, that was Alec's first kiss.

And it was great.

Thinking about it now, with Magnus's oddly colored eyes staring down at him, made him realize something. "So, how long was I out?"

Magnus looked away. "Oh, about five hours. Not as long as I expected. It's about eleven now."

"Where are the others, Catarina and Ragnor?" Slowly, Alec pushed himself up so that he could be eyelevel with Magnus. His vision has improved greatly, and the pain in his head had receded to a dull throb.

"Catarina had to rest and feed my cat, so she went home." There was a shuffling upstairs, and Alec jumped. Magnus's eyes rolled towards the ceiling and shook his head, eyes narrowed. "The idiot is up there, setting up his stupid cameras again." Alec laughed, and Magnus smiled at him. A real, genuine smile that made Alec want to kiss him again.

"What is it?" Magnus asked.

Alec shook his head. "Nothing." He looked down at his hands, hoping that Magnus wouldn't notice the small blush creeping up Alec's neck.

* * *

They talked a long time, just about little things. Alec found out that Magnus and Catarina were roommates in a small apartment in Brooklyn, and he had a small cat called Chairman Meow. Alec had chuckled at the name; it was so silly, but it was also very creative. Magnus had ended up sitting on the couch next to Alec, since he'd gotten over his headache and could see clearly. An hour had passed while they talked, and it seemed like no time. Ragnor had left, saying he wanted to check on Catarina, and asked if we were going to be all right here, what with the "demon" living here. Magnus replied that Ragnor had better hurry or Cat might not he was coming over tonight. Ragnor rolled his eyes and went out the door, leaving Magnus and Alec in the house by their selves, which made Alec rather excited.

Magnus gave a contented sigh, leaning back against the couch and closing his eyes. "So," Alec said, not wanting Magnus to fall asleep while he was talking to him. "How long have you been doing this? Paranormal research, I mean."

"Since college," Magnus answered. He cocked his head to one side. "I thought you knew that."

"Well yeah, but…" He trailed off. "Is that where you met Cat and Ragnor?"

Magnus nodded. "Yes. They were in the same major as me. Although, I'm not sure why Ragnor was even in it in the first place, because he's a scaredy-cat."

"What did you minor in?"

Magnus smirked. "Fashion."

Alec found himself raising an eyebrow. "Really? That's what Isabelle wants to major in."

"Well she does have an eye for it," Magnus agreed.

Alec looked away, not really knowing what to talk about next. He wanted to know all about Magnus, his family; his likes and dislikes; his _cat_. But he just can't blurt it out, can he?

"So what about you?" Magnus asked suddenly. "I want to know about you." Well, that's a way to put it.

"Uh…" Alec shook his head. "There's nothing for you to know. Nothing interesting, anyway."

"C'mon." He bumped Alec's shoulder with his playfully. "Tell me how you ended up here. I mean, I don't see any parents in the picture." Alec flinched at the word _parent_. Magnus noticed, and immediately looked sorry. "Oh. I get it, you don't want to talk about it."

Alec shrunk down, trying to make himself as little as possible. "No, its okay. I guess I'll tell you." He cleared his throat and Magnus sat up straight, looking attentive. Alec proceeded to tell Magnus his life story, pausing in places that were particularly hard to talk about, like Robert hitting Max, and the foster homes. When he was done, Magnus looked so sorry that he'd even brought it up. In fact, he said those exact same words.

Alec gave a humorless laugh, to maybe try to ease the tension. "Well," said Magnus, "since you told me yours, I guess I'll have to tell you mine."

"No," Alec protested. "You don't have to."

"It'll be alright. I mean, I haven't really talked about it with anyone except Cat and Ragnor." He paused a moment, thinking. "I guess you could say I didn't grow up in the best home either. I never had any siblings, so I was almost completely alone growing up. My parents…weren't in the happiest of marriages, and my mother cheated on her husband with some other guy a few months after the wedding, resulting in me. My stepfather never found out until a few months after I was born, because I didn't look anything like him. When I was younger he wouldn't hit me as hard or as often, but he still hit me. Like when he got drunk. When I was about ten, my mother couldn't take it anymore, because her mistake looked at her every day, and she hung herself in the barn out beside our house."

Alec's jaw dropped. This was by far way worse than the way Alec grew up. At least Alec had siblings so he wasn't completely alone. But Magnus was, especially without his mother.

"But shortly before," Magnus continued, "she'd told her husband everything." He gave a shaky laugh. "I still remember hearing the yelling from outside, and then I saw my mother run out, tears running down her face." He shrugged. "I followed, but I didn't get there in time."

"Did – did you find her? Before your stepfather?"

Magnus nodded, staring down at the floor. "I did. And then I took off running. I got, maybe, a half mile, before my stepfather caught me and pulled me back to the barn, kicking and screaming." He shook his head, his eyelids fluttering closed. "My eyes," he whispered. "I have my real father's eyes. That's how he knew I wasn't his. And he told me that, as he beat me in front of my mother's body."

Alec shook his head, not wanting Magnus to continue. He pulled Magnus into his arms, wrapping them tightly around him, wanting to protect him from that horrible memory. He pulled back and lifted Magnus's head up to him, taking in his now tear-streaked face. He wiped away a tear with his thumb. "That's terrible," he whispered.

"I know," Magnus answered. "But I'm not done."

"I don't think I can take anymore," Alec said honestly.

"But I haven't told you why I went into paranormal research in the first place." He smiled despite the tears. "After he was done, he left me in the barn, all bruised and bloody. And then…I heard my mother's voice, and I saw her, standing in front of her own body, looking down at me like she expected me to get up and do something. I did get up, and I went back into the house to find my stepfather passed out on the couch. I snuck up to my room, and there she was again."

"Your mother?" Alec asked.

"Yes. I knew she was dead, but she was still with me. I didn't see her anymore after that, but I felt her. And I think her husband could too because he eventually went crazy, and they locked him up in some institution. By then, I was old enough to get by on my own, and I save up enough money to go to college. I did paranormal research because I believed, if my mother was still there, then there are others out there who need to move on, too." He looked at Alec and shrugged.

"Wow," Alec whispered. "I…don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything," Magnus whispered back. His face was just inches from Alec's, and Alec's heart sped up. "Just kiss me."

Alec didn't have to be told twice. He put a hand on Magnus's cheek – later he realized it was in the exact same position as their first kiss – and enclosed the remaining distance between them. It was a lot like their first kiss, which seemed like days instead of hours ago. Their lips moved in sync with each other, like they were made for each other. Magnus put his hand on Alec's knee and squeezed, causing Alec to gasp, giving Magnus the perfect opportunity to slip his tongue inside Alec's mouth and explore every square inch.

Magnus broke away, and Alec almost whined in protest when he felt warm lips on his neck, trailing kisses starting from the bottom of his jaw down to his collarbone. Alec ran his hand through Magnus's thick black hair and tugged, causing a low moan from Magnus. He felt Magnus's hands lift up his shirt, and then warm hands were on his stomach. Alec tipped his head back to give Magnus better access to his neck. He closed his eyes, feeling total bliss.

There was a crash, and Alec jumped away, almost going off the couch. The sound came from upstairs, and they both looked up in anticipation. Then the sound of moving furniture was heard from the corner of the room, and a leg from the coffee table rose in the air. Alec found Magnus's hand and held onto it as the leg went over to the bare wall where the TV was, scratching into the wallpaper, and the wooden wall.

Alec stared in fear and awe as the leg spelled out the words _HE'S NEXT. HE'S MINE, _on the wall before dropping to the ground. He didn't notice that Magnus's arm was in front of him the whole time, attempting to protect him, and he felt a little touched. They looked at each other for a long time before Magnus spoke. "I think," he said. "I think she's jealous." He smiled slightly.

Alec's jaw was to the floor by now as he looked at Magnus. The man had no sense of fear at all, it seemed. He looked right back at Alec, his eyes laughing. "What?" When Alec said nothing, he laid down on the couch, resting his head on his arm. "Are you going to sleep in here or upstairs? 'Cause you're more than welcome to stay down here with me if you like."

Alec made a few sounds of confusion before he could form actual words. "It's my house." Magnus shrugged. "Magnus, do you like me?"

Magnus's eyebrows rose above his hairline. "Where did that come from? You're house is being haunted, and you want to know if I _like_ you?"

It was Alec's turn to shrug. Magnus let out a whoop of laughter. "I thought I made that clear when I asked you to kiss me."

"I wouldn't call it _asking_," said Alec, lying down next to Magnus (it was a very wide couch). "You _commanded _me to kiss you."

Magnus smiled, placing a hand on Alec's hip and closing his eyes. "A command to which you happily obliged."

Alec closed his eyes as well, and drifted off into a dreamless sleep, feeling safe for the first time in a long time.

* * *

**Okay, so I'm sorry if it was all over the place, but I am really tired. Also, sorry for any spelling/grammatical errors that may have occurred, once again, I'm tired. Sue me. **

**It got a little heated there in the kiss scene. That was originally how their first kiss was supposed to be, but less heated than that. Man, I didn't know I was even capable of that. I guess all those M fanfics I've been reading has been paying off, if you know what I mean ;) **

**Right, so, I've been averaging about five reviews per chapter, so if I could make it to 45, that would be fantabulous (40 right now, and loving everyone who reviewed.) Thanks guys and see you next weekend! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey! Sorry I missed the update date thing last weekend, but I just...could not get any inspiration for this chapter (that's why it is so short, btw). So, sorry, again. **

**I would like to tell you a ****story: I was writing the beginning of the chapter, my mind concentrating on this scary (in my opinion) scene and more scary scenes to come, when my sister comes in and hits me with a bag of letters! (They are called Banana Letters, for building words and things. Its kinda like Scrabble, except its not.) I jump, literally, out of the chair and land on my ass on the floor, and that little...mean person (don't wanna call her the b-word because she's only 9) laughs at me! I'm like "Why did you do that?!" She's like "You were staring off into space, and I wanted to see what would happen." I'm like "WTF?!" and she's like "What does that mean?" and I'm like "Uh, nothing!"  
**

**But, whatever. Hope you like the (short) chapter! Thank you thank you thank you for the loving reviews, I love every single one of you! (Appropriately, of course.) Keep up the grrrrrrreat reviews! **

**Disclaimer: I only own the family from the 1800s. Nothing else. Except the plot, that's mine too. But NOT THE CHARACTERS! CC owns them (the lucky duck.)**

* * *

_Screaming, like fighting, sounded through the large house. A little black-haired girl, about seven or eight, stood barefoot under the large oak tree in the front yard, watching the house with a mixture of fear and resentment. She was holding a small cymbal-banging windup monkey. _

_The door slammed open to reveal a tall man with black hair and blue eyes, his face contorted with anger. Behind him was a short woman, with brown hair and eyes. They were both yelling profanities at each other; the only difference was the woman was speaking in Latin. Above them, the sky turned dark, and the wind started to pick up. _

_The girl watched as her parents fought in the yard. She hugged her monkey tighter. Her father advanced towards her, stood in front of her and held out an arm, pulling her behind him so she could not see her mother. She buried her head in her father's shirt. "You will not hurt her, witch!" her father yelled. "She is our daughter!" _

"_She is not any blood of mine!" her mother yelled back, and she held out an arm. _

_Suddenly the girl's father was yanked away from her, and he flew through the air. He landed on his back on the ground with a thump. The witch gave a short, victorious laugh before returning her gaze to the girl. Her smile was nauseating as she took a step. _

_Her father moved, and gave a pained whine. His mouth struggled, but eventually he formed the words, "R-run, Mable." The witch grunted as she turned her attention back to him. She held out her arm again, and the father flew to the porch. His back hit against the wall of the house, right beside the window. His mouth opened, trying to give a scream, but it only came out as a little whine. The witch moved her hand, and the father slid across the wall and through the door. The witch marched back into the house. _

_The girl took this opportunity to run. There was a path that she had made that went down to her swimming pond, and she ran down it, her bare feet thumping against the ground. Her breath came in short gasps. She stopped about half way there however, because she heard something; a twig snapping. Slowly, she turned her head, but didn't hear it again. She took another step, and this time she heard something else, up above her head. Looking up, she saw her mother, and gave a little gasp. _

_The mother was perched up in the tree above her like a leopard or jaguar stalking its prey. She had blood on her dress and hands. She jumped down and grabbed hold of the girl's head, turning it to the side sharply. _

Alec woke up, sweaty and gasping, his heart racing. He had one thought, and one thought only: find the girl.

He jumped off the couch quickly, not wasting time changing out of his sweat-soaked clothes. He bypassed Magnus, who had come in the room with a plate of waffles. He barely got past without knocking the waffles out of his hands.

He heard Magnus call his name, but couldn't be bothered with answering right now. He knew Magnus would follow, so he would just explain everything later. He ran out the door into the searing cold, realizing then he was in a t-shirt and had no shoes. But he didn't stop. Running down the pathway in bare feet was difficult, the hard ground frozen and biting into his skin, but he kept going.

Halfway to the pond, he skidded to a halt. In the distance, he could hear Magnus yelling his name and running in his direction. Looking around he knew this was the place where Theodosia killed the girl.

He searched the ground, but found nothing to insinuate a murder. Of course, that had been in the early 1800s, so erosion and things could have buried the evidence. Or Theodosia herself.

Dropping to his knees, Alec began clawing at the frozen ground, loosening up the dirt. His hands were almost numb, but he kept going until he had dug a pretty good sized whole. He stopped when he came across something. Magnus came to a halt beside him, out of breath. "Alec," he gasped, "what just happened?" He wrapped something around Alec's shoulders, but Alec didn't notice. He picked up the object and examined it closely. He almost burst out in tears.

It was a small skull, like that of a child.

* * *

Magnus returned from the kitchen was a mug and wrapped Alec's fingers around it. He squatted down in front of him. Alec was looking off into space, his head down. Magnus had bundled a blanket around him when they got back into the house because he was shivering, then he called Catarina and Ragnor, who were currently scoping out the spot where Alec found the skull. "Do you want to tell me what the hell just happened?" Magnus asked softly.

Alec swallowed and didn't answer. Magnus sighed and rose to sit on the couch beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He leaned in and gently pressed a kiss to his temple. "Do you want to call your siblings? Make sure they're okay?"

Before Alec could speak, a thump sounded from the top of the stairs, followed by another, then another. They seemed to be getting louder with each thump. It was descending the stairs. Magnus saw a small object from where he was sitting, but couldn't make out what it was. It landed at the foot of the stairs, and never moved after that.

Both Magnus and Alec were still for a moment, before Alec got up quickly, abandoning the blanket and Magnus's arm, and went over to the stairs. Magnus followed him suspiciously.

Alec got on his knees and held the object in his hands. It was one of those creepy little monkeys that played the cymbals. This one was really dusty, and its fur was matted in places. Alec held it like it was precious china and could break at any second. "What is that, Alec?"

"It was hers," Alec said quietly. "You know, the girl in the photo; their daughter."

"How do you know?" Magnus asked.

"I had a dream about it last night. And when I woke up, I knew I had to find her." He looked up at Magnus with big, sad blue eyes. "Why is this happening to me?" he whispered.

* * *

"No, Izzy, I'm fine… Okay, tell Max I said hi… No, please don't Isabelle…"

Magnus only caught snatches of Alec's conversation with Isabelle on the phone. He was in the living room, whereas Magnus was in the kitchen. Alec must've been pacing, and Magnus could only hear what he was saying when he came by the door. Magnus closed his eyes and sighed.

Catarina sat opposite him at the kitchen table with Ragnor to her left. The monkey that had fallen down the stairs was in the middle of the table, staring at Magnus with creepy, mocking eyes. He half expected it to start playing without anyone touching it. They were all silent, and Magnus wondered what they were thinking. "What did you find?" Magnus asked.

"The skull, and a few small bones. Maybe finger bones, I'm not sure," Ragnor said.

"I, uhm…" Catarina said, but stopped and shook her head. "This is awful, Magnus. Her family was never of any importance to her. She just used them to raise her standing with…" she trailed off. "But I did figure out something."

"Finally, some information!" Magnus barked. Catarina cleared her throat, clearly annoyed. "Sorry," said Magnus. "I…didn't get much sleep last night. Please continue."

"I now know the girl's name," said Catarina.

"Mable," said a voice from the doorway. Magnus turned and saw Alec clutching his phone, looking at Cat with a blank expression.

"I also know that there is a reason her mother wanted to kill her," Catarina continued softly. "Why she was never mention in any of the articles or captured in any of the pictures. Mable was very sick and very weak, and her mother did not want her scene by people. She was hidden pretty much all her life."

"How do you know that?" Alec demanded. He stalked over to the table and plunked himself down, setting his phone on the table and staring at the monkey right in front of him. He started picking at the sleeves of his sweater that he'd changed into a few minutes ago.

"She…has a gift –" Magnus started.

"Yeah, I know," Alec snapped. He started to say something else, but instead he just sighed and shook his head.

"So," continued Magnus, trying his hardest to forgive Alec for snapping at him. "Theo-whatever wanted her own daughter dead because she was sick?"

Catarina paused. "Well, yes, but also because of the child's premier standing with God – at least, in her eyes. She was pure and a child, so…"

"And Elijah?" Alec asked. "Why sacrifice him in front of a fire with a bunch of satanic symbols?"

"I did some more research last night," Catarina said, "and I found out that Elijah was a minister at the local Presbyterian Church."

"Premier standing with the Lord," Ragnor muttered.

Catarina nodded. "Exactly."

"I still don't understand." Alec shook his head. "I mean, I get the whole 'premier standing' thing, but why are these things happening to _me._" He looked at Magnus.

"Your family was the first people to live in the house since they died," Magnus said, rather forcefully. But he wanted to get his point across. "And you happen to resemble the husband who tried to ruin the witch's ritual by protecting their daughter. Why do you _think_ these things are happening?"

Alec stood abruptly. "He didn't protect her!" he yelled. He pointed a finger at Magnus. "You have no idea what went on, okay? You weren't there!"

Magnus stood as well. "Neither were you!" he screamed back.

Alec stalked out of the room, shaking his head and muttering something Magnus couldn't hear. Magnus felt guilty almost immediately, and tried to catch his arm as he went by. Alec pulled away and went out into the hall and up the stairs. Magnus heard a door slam above their heads, and it made him jump. He plopped back down in his chair, hearing the familiar creak. He blew out a breath and dropped his head in his arms on the table. He heard Catarina's soft voice speak. "Give him time. He still hasn't really gotten used to the whole 'ghost' thing."

"It's been weeks," came Magnus's muffled reply.

"No it hasn't," Ragnor argued. "It has only been _a_ week. One. Uno. Une. Einer – "

"We get it," said Magnus.

"Whatever. Speaking of the whole 'ghost' thing, I need to put up my cameras again." Magnus heard him get up from his chair and felt him pat Magnus on the back as he went by. Slowly, Magnus raised his eyes to Catarina, who was staring after Ragnor, seeming to be lost in thought.

"Are you two dating yet?" Magnus asked tiredly.

"I could say the same about you and Alec," she said without looking at him.

Magnus snorted. "Touché," he said before dropping his head back into his arms.

* * *

Alec lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He felt bad, snapping at Magnus like that. Magnus was only trying to help. But he just didn't get it. Alec _felt_ that little girl's terror as he was dreaming; _felt_ as her father held her protectively; _felt_ as her mother jumped from the tree and broke the girl's neck. To them downstairs, this was just another case that they had to solve, nothing special. To Alec, this was protecting his family, so they can have a better life. It really didn't help that Mable looked exactly like Isabelle. Maybe that's why Alec felt the way he did.

He felt a shiver run through his body as he heard his door open softly. It must be Magnus, coming to apologize for what he didn't do, so Alec didn't turn his head. He just continued to stare at the ceiling. He felt the bed dip with someone's weight at the bottom, but could not see Magnus in his peripheral vision.

Suddenly, a face appeared right in front of Alec's, and it wasn't Magnus's. It was a pale woman with tangled dark hair that fell around Alec's head. She was staring down at him with black eyes and a smirk. Alec tried to move his arms, and noticed that she had him pinned down at the wrists, and was straddling him. She tilted her head to the side and smiled, her teeth brown and rotten, her breath like rancid meat. It made Alec gag. And then she was kissing him, and Alec almost did throw up. She moved her lips against his, but he refused to kiss back. He could taste her breath, and did not like it at all.

And then everything went black.

* * *

**Yuck. That's all I have to say. **

**Review! **

**(Okay, that's it. That's all I'm gonna say.) **


	10. Chapter 10

**Ugh, this is finally done! And its short, only 2,992 words. I was so having trouble with this I didn't think it would ever get done. So, sorry. **

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! I LOVED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM YOU ALL ARE FABULOUS I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! Okay, now i want more. **

**Disclaimer: don't own characters. Darn. **

* * *

As Magnus worked, he noticed the sun was going down. He was sitting in the living room, trying to get a presentation done on his laptop. They had a lecture scheduled in Vermont for next month, as Catarina had informed him a few hours ago, after his little spat with Alec. He debated on which case he which case he would present, and wondered if it would be all right to do this one. Ragnor had tons of footage on that stupid camera of his.

Then again, that footage had Alec on it, and Magnus didn't know if he could handle showing it if Alec…if he had to leave Alec. And of course, they had to get permission from the video subject before they can show it to anyone, and Alec would never give it. No, they would do the Blackthorn case…again.

It was dark now; the only thing illuminating the room is the light from the computer. Magnus sighed and continued working.

Suddenly it was lighter, and Magnus turned to find Alec by the light switch in the doorway. Magnus blinked at him, slightly blinded by the unexpected brightness. "Thank you," he said quietly, and returned to staring at his computer screen.

He heard Alec's soft footsteps come toward him, and felt the couch dip with Alec's weight. And then he felt an arm slip around his waist and gentle kisses on the side of his neck. It was enough to make Magnus stop and put his computer on the floor. He turned his head in time for Alec's lips to meet his.

Something felt…different, not like it usually did when they kissed. Before Magnus could think too much into it, Alec pulled away and resumed placing kisses down his neck, starting form just below his jaw. Magnus's eyes fluttered closed involuntarily. "I'm sorry," Alec whispered between kisses. "I overreacted. Who cares about the kid?" This struck Magnus as odd, as it seemed Alec cared for the girl.

Alec pushed Magnus down on his back, and moved so he was straddling Magnus's hips. This happened so suddenly; Magnus didn't know what was happening. Alec paused at a spot on Magnus's neck and sucked the skin between his teeth, biting down hard. That elicited a moan from Magnus. He felt Alec's hands slide down his torso to the hem of his shirt and lifted it up, attempting to get the shirt off Magnus. The situation then became real to Magnus, and he wasn't sure their "relationship" was ready for what Alec was insinuating yet. Magnus knew this probably wasn't what Alec needed to do, especially in this situation. "Alec," he said breathlessly. "Are you sure?" Alec answered by rolling his hips against Magnus, causing another moan. Magnus wondered if he _really _wanted to stop Alec. This isn't like Alec at all to show _this_ kind of initiative, and Magnus kind of liked it, but it was also scaring him.

Before the irrational part of Magnus's brain won and let Alec do whatever he wanted (that was looking very good right now), Magnus put his hands on Alec's and pushed him back. "Alec," he said. Alec continued to kiss him. "Alec, _stop_."

Alec grunted as he fumbled with Magnus's hands and gained control, pinning his arms to either side of his head. He hovered over Magnus, smirking in a un-Alec-like way. Magnus looked up at him and noticed something. Alec's eyes, which were normally blue as the ocean and tender and sweet, were now black and cold. Magnus swallowed and pushed against him with all his strength, letting out a successful laugh when Alec landed on the floor with a crash.

Magnus scrambled up to the other side of the couch, as far away as he could get. Cat and Ragnor – who had undoubtedly heard the crash – came in the room just as Alec was getting up, not taking his now pissed-off eyes off of Magnus. He threw out an arm, and Catarina and Ragnor were thrown against the wall. Magnus winced when he heard a crack. He looked back to Alec, and made a disgusted face when Alec looked at him in a way that was most likely meant to be seductive.

"What's the matter, Magnus?" Alec said, but it didn't sound like him. It sounded more scratchy and…feminine. "You don't want to kiss me anymore?"

"You are not Alec." Magnus took a step to his left, and Alec followed his movement. "Let them go. Let _him_ go."

The witch gave a short, non-humorous laugh. "Or what? You will kill me? I do not think so. You see, dear, he's already gone. And you are next."

"That must be a catch phrase of yours," said a snarky voice from behind it. There was a bang, and the witch fell to the ground. Behind it stood Isabelle, frying pan in hand, and Jace right beside her. Catarina and Ragnor were released form the wall. Magnus was about to ask what the younger Lightwoods were doing here, and where Max was, but before he could the witch was up again and advancing toward them, fury alive in its eyes.

Ragnor ran from the room and was back faster than Magnus could blink. He was holding a chair from the kitchen, which he used to fling at the witch, blindsiding it for a moment.

Magnus used that precious time to set the chair upright in the middle of the room. He grabbed the witch by the shoulder and forced it into the chair. "Get some rope! And a pillowcase!" he yelled, doing his best to hold down the witch. "Jace, help me out!" Jace came to his aid and held it down as Ragnor ran to get the rope that was kept in the trunk of their car for emergencies. This was definitely an emergency.

Ragnor returned rather quickly. They all three tied the rope around the witch while Isabelle helped Catarina look for something. "Careful," the witch hissed to Magnus. "If you hurt me, you hurt him." It smiled wickedly. It took everything Magnus had _not _to slap it in the face. But, it was right, as much as Magnus didn't want to admit it. He didn't want to do anything that might hurt Alec later.

"Magnus," called Catarina. "You'll have to do it." She tossed him a vial of something. It was holy water.

"Cat…" He walked over to her. "I can't. What if I hurt him?"

"If you kill him," Isabelle said, "I can kill you in return so at least you two an be together."

"Magnus, you are the only one who has experience! You know what to do."

"Those were videos, Catarina!"

She leaned in and said quietly, "Don't let it hear you say that."

Magnus turned back to face the demon who had taken possession of his Alec. It had caused his looks to change; he was really pale, and there were dark purple bags under his eyes. His body looked weak, but _she _didn't seem to mind, staring at Magnus with mild curiosity; intimidating him; taunting him. "Put the pillowcase over its head," he ordered. Neither Ragnor nor Jace complained, only looked at him slightly terrified, as they went about. Jace grabbed one end of the pillowcase and Ragnor the other, and they wrestled it onto Alec's – _the witch's_ – head. Magnus swallowed and turned his head to Catarina, almost yelling over the witch's grunting as she tried to get out of the rope and pillowcase. "Where is the cross?" he asked.

Catarina looked around and finally found a small wooden cross, one that was given by the Catholic Church when they had first started. He took it and held it up, noticing his whole arm shaking. In his other hand he held the holy water. He licked his lips and began speaking the Latin words.

Alec's whole body started vibrating, and he started screaming, and for a moment it sounded like the real Alec. Magnus's voice shook for a moment, but he continued. He paused for a moment and flung out his other wrist, splashing Alec with drops of holy water. Alec's hands balled up into fists, and he screamed even louder. Out of the corner of his eye, Magnus saw Jace and Isabelle. Jace's arms were wrapped around his sister, and her head was buried in his shoulder, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed. Magnus kept going.

Suddenly, Alec stopped his movement, and his head slumped to the side. Magnus paused for the fraction of a second, confused. He stuttered with his words, but only got a few out before something strange happened. Of course, Magnus was used to strange, have dealt with strange on a daily basis. He himself was strange in his own way. But this…was downright terrifying.

Magnus stopped the word flow entirely as Alec's chair rose into the air, levitating above everyone's heads. Everything was deathly quiet, only the sound of breathing could be perceived. It seemed like hours instead of seconds that Alec hung there, before his chair was flung against the wall. The chair broke into pieces with the force of the blow, and Alec's body dropped to the ground with a thud. A second, maybe two, passed until Alec's head came into view, followed by the rest of him as he got up off the floor. Black eyes stared straight at Magnus with a sickening smile. Magnus gripped the cross tighter. Ever so slowly the witch crept toward them. "Nice try," it said.

Magnus shrugged. "Worth a shot," he said, trying so hard to keep his voice from shaking. He backed up toward the hallway with every step the witch took. Jace and Isabelle were huddled in a corner. The witch turned its head toward them.

Magnus blinked, a mistake he would regret, because in that second Jace was thrown back, and Isabelle went into Alec's arms, and they were in front of the fireplace on the other side of the room. The witch held a knife to Isabelle's throat, and there were tears running down Isabelle's cheeks. Jace got up with a groan. Magnus held out a hand and guided Jace behind him, giving him the cross and holy water. "There is absolutely no need for this," said Magnus, arms held out in front of him. He took a step forward, and the witch took a step back. "Just let her go. She's not part of this."

"Take one more step and she dies," said the witch, pressing the knife deeper into Isabelle's throat. Magnus heard Isabelle whimper slightly and stopped moving.

"Alec," said a voice from behind Magnus. He looked and saw Catarina, coming to stand beside him. "This is your sister. Think about what you're doing."

"Alec is gone!" the witch screeched.

Magnus looked at Catarina, conveying a silent message. Catarina gave a slight nod, not perceivable by anyone else in the room, and took a small step in front of Magnus. "Alec, you have to be strong. You need to fight this."

The witch tightened its grip on Isabelle's arm, and Magnus took a step opposite Catarina. They kept doing this, the witch watching both of them as they slowly circled towards it, Catarina distracting it by talking to it as if she were talking to Alec. Once Magnus was close enough, he pounced, taking the witch and Isabelle to the ground. He pushed Isabelle away, and Catarina helped her up and led her away. Magnus held the struggling witch down, pinning it by the wrists on either side of its head. "Jace," Magnus called, "come hold him down! I need to finish it!"

Jace rapidly came to help, taking Magnus's place as Magnus got his supplies together once again and got on his knees next to Jace. When Magnus began, the witch yowled and squirmed. Jace grunted and struggled with it. Magnus splashed the holy water on it once again, and it flinched and growled. He could hear a sizzling noise, and hoped that it was not affecting Alec, as it was the witch. For a frightening split second, the witch went completely still. And then Alec's back arched off the floor, and his mouth opened, and black mist came flowing out in a stream. Jace jumped back, alarmed and covering his face with an arm. Magnus scooted back as well and watched the mist evaporate into the ceiling.

Breathing heavily, Magnus was the first to gather his wits about him and went to Alec, putting Alec's head in his lap. He saw Jace move out of the corner of his eye, but couldn't bring himself to turn his head away from the unconscious boy in front of him. "Alec," he whispered almost inaudibly. There was no way the other's, who were checking each other over, could hear him. "Alec, please come back to me. I'm sorry this happened to you; I never meant for it to. Alexander, please come back; please wake up." He swallowed, running a hand through Alec's black locks, and said in a broken voice, "I love you."

Isabelle came over and sat next to Magnus, taking one of her brother's hands, turning it over and checking for a pulse. She smiled slightly, so Magnus guessed she found one, which was a major relief to him. He let go of a breath he had no idea he was holding. "Will he be alright?" Isabelle asked. Jace came and stood behind her. Magnus could hear Catarina and Ragnor rummaging around behind them.

"I don't know," Magnus answered honestly.

At that moment, Isabelle gasped and looked down at the hand she was holding. Magnus looked down as well to find a pair of beautiful crystal blue eyes fluttering open. He led out a small sound, between a gasp and a laugh. "M-Magnus?" Alec said, his voice horse and tired.

Magnus nodded feverishly. "Yes. Can you sit up?" He held Alec's arm and slowly helped him into a sitting position, where his sister and brother tackled him. Magnus could hear him whispering to Izzy that he was so sorry, for everything, and Izzy forgiving him. Once they let go, he was helped into a standing position, leaning against Magnus for support. Magnus guided Alec to the couch and sat him down, wrapping an arm around his waist. Alec looked up at him and smiled shyly. Magnus could take it no longer, and swooped in and placed a kiss on the boy's cheek. Alec blushed and pulled away, looking up at his siblings. "Darling," said Magnus, "I don't believe they care." He laughed, and so did Alec, and everything seemed right in the world at last.

Or so he thought.

Insane cackling was heard from the direction of the fireplace. Magnus looked to see the witch, Theodosia, standing there, arms out to her sides, hands upturned and fingers gnarled. Two large fires started on either side of her, and spread up the walls. She threw her head back and crowed. "We have to go," said Magnus. "Now!"

* * *

He didn't know how the others made it: if they went out in front of him or behind him, or if the witch was chasing after them. All he knew was he shot up from the couch and ran from the house, pulling Alec along with him and not looking back for anything. Now, he had Alec in his arms, and his friends behind him, and that is al he could ask for right now as they watched the big house burn. Flames licked up the sides of the house, and the glass from the upper windows blew out with a loud noise. From where they stood, Magnus could hear the roar of the fire, and the cackling of the witch.

He felt Alec shudder in his arms and bury his face in his neck, wrapping his arms tighter around Magnus's waist. Magnus kissed his forehead. Isabelle came to stand beside them wordlessly, and Magnus felt Alec turn his head to look at her. "Where is Max?" he asked. "Please don't tell me he's – "

"He's fine," she reassured, putting a hand on Alec's shoulder. "Clary and Simon came to stay with him in the motel."

"How did they know -?"

"We called them," she said. "Ragnor texted Jace and told what was happening, and we called Si and Clary to stay with Max. They happily obliged."

Magnus turned his head, somewhat like an owl, to look at Ragnor. "Thank you," he said. Ragnor nodded. Magnus glanced down and noticed he was hand-in-hand with Catarina. Magnus raised an eyebrow, and Ragnor shot him a look. Magnus smirked and looked back to the house.

"I…" Alec said, and it took Magnus a moment to notice he was talking to him. Alec chuckled.

"What is it?" Magnus asked, eyebrows raised.

"So, uhm, how much to we owe you?" Alec looked up at him, his blue eyes visible from the light of the fire. They had a playful glint to them.

Magnus stared at him, dumbstruck. "You can't be serious. Do you actually think we are going to ask you to pay us for _this_? Alec, we burnt your house down."

Alec shook his head. "No, you didn't." He sighed. "Its just…we have no where to go now. And you know we can't go _home_. We have no home."

Magnus made a frustrated sound. "Yes you do. You're home is with me. And my place is pretty big, and I have a few guest rooms…"

"What are you saying, Magnus?"

"I'm saying I love you and I want you to stay with me." He said it all in one breath, afraid of the answer. The boy just blinked up at him, and then his lips formed a small smile. Alec leaned up, and Magnus leaned down, and their lips met. It was slow and closed-mouthed, not hurried or hungry or anything. Magnus smiled into it, feeling absolute bliss. Despite the situation.

* * *

**So, there it is. Sorry its short. I hope you like it. **

**I have an announcement. _IT IS IMPORTANT TO PAY ATTENTION_: this next chapter will be the epilogue. I know, I know, it is sad, and I am so heartbroken, but we all knew this would come sometime. I'm so sorry. Now, originally, Alec wasn't supposed to make it, and it would be really sad, but because I LOVE YOU (did I mention that? you all are great, and spoiled I might add) and because I love Alec, I didn't kill him. BUT, if you want me to do the alternate ending to this where Alec does get killed, let me know and I will post it after I do the epilogue. (And you won't be disappointed, it will be sad, but it will be good) :) **

**REVIEW PLEASE! (I'M AT 54 REVIEWS AND I CAN'T BELIEVE IT BECAUSE THAT'S NEARLY TEN MORE THAN THE LAST TIME I POSTED. I LOVE IT AND I LOVE YOU ALL! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!) **


	11. Chapter 11-Epilogue

**Hey! Sooooooooooooooooooo sorry I skipped a weekend! I feel so bad, what with it being late and a short chapter... Yeah, you read right. It is shorter than all the others. But, it is an epilogue, so what did you expect? Also, I'm not really proud of it. But I'll leave you to reading it and deciding if it's good or bad.**

**Fair warning, at the bottom is a very long A/N that i highly recommend reading. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Damn.**

* * *

Catarina got out of Ragnor's car slowly, hearing her feet crunch against the dead leaves and frozen ground beneath her. The wind picked up, and she shivered, pulling her coat around her tightly.

It had been almost a month since she'd last been up here; since the witch burned her own house down. From the time that happened to now, Catarina had been wondering why. Why would the witch do this? What was her purpose? "Maybe we'll never know," said Ragnor. She shook her head. Had she spoken out loud? "Yes, you did," he said.

Catarina rolled her eyes. She and Ragnor were on a date: their first date. Cat was a little nervous. They had been friends since college, and she was worried that if the date ended badly it might affect their friendship. She really didn't want that.

He had been taking her to a restaurant, and she had asked about the house, not really expecting an answer (he didn't like to talk about it; no one did). She had been very surprised when he turned down Wayland Drive, and turned up the dirt road leading to the house.

As she looked around the property now, at the ruined house and old dead tree, she thought about the events of the last month. Alec and the rest of the Lightwoods moved into the apartment Magnus and Catarina shared, making it a little more cramped than it already was. Isabelle and Simon started dating officially, as did Jace and Clary, so Catarina didn't really see them much. Even Max had a girlfriend now, and was nearly always over at her house. She felt she saw Alec and Magnus a little _too _much however, and wished they would get out of the apartment more. The only time they ever really go somewhere is when Cat and Magnus are scheduled for presentations and have to go out of town.

A flicker of movement tore Catarina out of her thoughts, and she looked back toward the ruins of the house. There, standing right in the center, were two dark figures. One was considerably taller than the other, and they seemed to be holding hands. Catarina drew in a sharp breath when the wind blew again, chilling her to the bone. Ragnor noticed. "Do you want my coat?"

She shook her head absently and took off toward the house. Ragnor, understanding what was going on (to a certain degree, anyway), didn't follow her. As she neared closer, the figures became more defined, and she saw they were a man and a young child, staring at her with vacant expressions. She slowed her stride a few yards away from them. The man looked down at the girl he was holding hands with, and they both blinked out of existence.

Cat paused there for a second, a little confused, but they reappeared about two feet away from her. They both seemed to be smiling, so Catarina smiled as well. The young girl was the first to speak. "Thank you," she said. Her voice was soft, like a mouse.

"For what?" Catarina asked.

"For freeing us," the man answered. "She had us trapped, in our own house. We could not leave. Now, after nearly two hundred years, we are free. We thank you, Catarina."

Catarina shook her head. "I could not feel you…"

"She didn't want you to," the man said, "but now she is gone. Thank you, once again."

Catarina smiled once again. "You are very welcome."

Elijah Hastings tugged on his daughter's hand, and they turned and walked away. They got maybe a few steps away from Catarina before flickering out of existence once again; this time, hopefully, for good.

Catarina sighed as she made her way back to Ragnor. He waited patiently for her return, and didn't ask questions about what went on before. Instead they talked about other things; trivial things, like what they were going to eat, and who was going to pick up the check. As they drove away form the house, Catarina's eyes wandered to the rearview mirror. In it was a sight that had her frozen in her place: a woman, with tangled black hair and a tattered dress, was standing at the end of the dirt road, her pale hand raised as if she were saying goodbye to an old friend.

* * *

Chairman Meow purred as Alec scratched him gently behind his ears. He liked for Alec to pet him, but only when he was curled up on Alec's stomach half asleep did he purr. Alec chuckled softly, and laid his head on Magnus's chest as his boyfriend channel-surfed. It was a Saturday, so there was absolutely nothing on TV. He finally settled on Ghost Hunters, and gave a grunt. "These guys are fakes," he stated.

Alec laughed. "Jace said the same thing about you."

"Well," said Magnus, "now he knows better."

There was something in his voice, an underlying anger or frustration. It was enough to make Alec cast a glace at him. "I guess so," Alec said.

There was a pause in the conversation, the only sound being the TV and the Chairman's soft purring. They were sprawled out on the couch in the apartment, Alec between Magnus's legs. He felt Magnus's arms tighten around him, and suddenly he realized the reason for Magnus's tone; he knew what Magnus was thinking about. Alec looked up to find Magnus's eyes on the TV, but he wasn't completely paying attention. A single tear ran down his cheek.

"Hey," Alec whispered. He sat up so he was eye level with Magnus. Chairman Meow was sent to the floor with a yowl. Alec put a hand on Magnus's cheek and used his thumb to wipe the tear away.

They hadn't really talked about that night, but it wasn't for lack of trying. For the first week or so, Alec would have really bad nightmares that would make him scream until he woke himself up. Magnus wanted to get Alec to talk about them, but Alec wasn't going to, and eventually Magnus stopped trying. "Don't," said Alec. "It's over. It's okay now."

"I could've lost you," Magnus said.

"But why are you thinking about this now?"

Magnus shrugged. "Not one day goes by that I don't think about. Alec, I don't know what I would do if I killed you."

"Killed me?" Alec echoed.

Magnus nodded. "I did the exorcism. That was my first one, ever. And not many people make it…"

"But I did," said Alec. He kissed Magnus's cheek, and when Magnus turned his head he kissed his nose and smiled. "You did great."

Magnus just looked at him blankly. "You don't get it, do you? Alexander, that thing _possessed _you. It had you in its clutches and wasn't about to let you go. You could have _died_, if not by me then by it. I knew – I _knew_ – what would happen, and yet I was stupid and I let it go until the very last second. I should've made you leave right away; I should've made sure you were safe…"

"Stop," Alec said forcefully, taking Magnus's face in both his hands and turning it towards him. "I'm alive, I'm not hurt, and I'm here in your arms where I belong. This wasn't your fault, so stop thinking about it." He let go when Magnus nodded ever so slightly.

"What do you remember?" Magnus asked.

Alec looked away, down to the floor where the Chairman was stretched out, fast asleep. "Magnus, I don't – "

"Please," Magnus begged. "Please, just answer the question, and I will stop talking about it. Please."

"I…" Alec trailed off, thinking back on the unwanted memories. "I remember going up to my room, a-after our fight –" Magnus cringed "- and I remember hearing the door open. I thought it was you, so I didn't move. And then _she_ was leaning over me – " Alec shuttered. "And then…everything went black for a little while." He left out the part about the witch kissing him; he didn't want to give Magnus any more reason to freak out.

"What happened after that?" Magnus asked.

Alec shook his head. "Uhm…I – remember hearing your voice, and I caught little flashes of your face. And then…" Alec was almost in tears at this point. "I remember – _so clearly_ – holding a knife to my little sister's throat." And then the tears that he had tried so hard to fight back came, rolling down his face freely. He shook his head again, burying it in Magnus's neck. Magnus ran a soothing hand up and down Alec's back.

"This is good," Magnus whispered. "We shouldn't keep these things bottled up. Thank you, for telling me all this."

Alec looked Magnus in the eyes, blue on gold-green. "I love you."

"I love you too." Magnus gave a small smile.

They would talk about this again sooner or later, Alec knew that much. For now though, they would just lie on the couch, arms around each other, and wait for Cat and Ragnor to get back from their date. Alec looked back at Magnus, and he thought about his life. He wondered how he could ever be this lucky, because everything that happened to him led him to Magnus, and he would not change a thing.

* * *

**I suck at endings. I guess it's because I don't like for things to end. Ever. **

***CRIES* IT'S OVER! THIS WAS THE LAST CHAPTER! IT'S OVER! *more crying.* *tears flood the house* *furniture floats away with my tears* I'M GOING TO MISS THIS THING! **

**I just want to say, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'VE GOTTEN MORE REVIEWS THAN ANY OTHER STORY I'VE EVER DONE! (which I don't recommend reading, btw. they aren't that good) I LOVE EACH AND EVERY PERSON WHO REVIEWED, YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO GOOD! LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! **

**ALSO, I HOPE EVERYONE HAD A GREAT VALENTINE'S DAY! AND TO THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE AS EXCITED AS I AM ABOUT TUESDAY: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPP! (for those you who have no idea what i am talking about, Tuesday is the 17th, and the day Welcome to the Shadowhunter Academy comes out. for those of you who don't know what the hell _that_ is, it is the first ****installment of the Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy. for those of you who don't know what _that_ is, I'm very sorry to break it to you, but you need to come from under the rock you are living under.) **

**ALSO ALSO, TUESDAY IS CONRAD RICAMORA'S BIRHTDAY! YAY! (for those of you who don't know who that is, he plays Oliver on How to Get Away with Murder. for those of you who don't know what _that_ is: seriously, rocks aren't the only shelter there is out there.)**

**ALSO ALSO ALSO: expect the Alternate Ending sometime in the near future. Admittedly, I haven't begun writing it yet, but I'll get there. For those of you who don't want to read it, you will not be confused and/or pressured into reading it. Its okay if you don't, I understand. **

**Thank you for reading my ridiculously long A/N. Thank you for reading my ridiculously short story. Thank you for all of your lovely reviews. **

**I am done now. See you later. **


	12. Chapter 12-Alternate Ending

**Mmkay, here it is: the famed Alternate Ending I've been promising. It takes place from when Jace and Isabelle make their appearances. I hope you enjoy it. If you don't want to read it, by all means you don't have to. I repeat: YOU DON'T HAVE TO. You won't be confused, I promise. But, I do recommend reading it, because I really like it. But, really, you don't have to. **

**ALSO: I don't know if any of you noticed, but I changed my pen name. I was formerly Peoplelikeus13, but now, I am the angelic devil. If you don't like it, too bad. If you do like it, thank you, I do too. I feel this is...more me. But...on with the story. Well, alternate ending, anyway. **

**Disclaimer: You know da drill. Don't own them. **

* * *

"That must be a catch phrase of yours," said a snarky voice from behind the witch. There was a bang, and the witch fell to the ground. Behind it stood Isabelle, frying pan in hand, and Jace right beside her.

"What are you doing here?" Magnus yelled, but before he could ask more questions the witch was back up and advancing towards them.

Ragnor ran from the room, and was back before anyone could ask where he'd gone. In his hands was a chair from the kitchen table, and he flung it at the witch, blindsiding it for a moment. "Get some rope and a pillow case from the back of the car!" Magnus yelled at Ragnor, and he and Jace went out the door together.

The witch turned to Magnus and cocked its head, regarding him with cool interest. "Careful," it said.

It sprang towards him. Magnus was able to get mostly out of the way, but it caught his wrist and dragged him down to the floor. It was a battle for dominance, Magnus finally getting an advantage and pinning the witch to the ground. "What do you mean 'careful'?" Magnus demanded.

The witch laughed in its throat. "Anything you do to me could hurt your precious Alec." It smirked, and Magnus was taken aback for a moment. He hadn't really thought about that fact. The witch used his hesitation to fling him off and against the wall, scrambling up and over to the fireplace.

Ragnor and Jace finally returned with the rope and pillowcase. Ragnor set up the chair, and Magnus tackled the witch once again, taking it to the ground. Once he got a good hold, he forced it down into the chair, tying the rope around its wrists and ankles. "Where is Max?" Magnus asked Jace while he tied. When he was done he gestured for Ragnor to pull the pillowcase over its head.

"He's in the car," Jace answered.

"_What_?" Magnus, Ragnor, and Catarina chorused. The witch cackled. "Why the hell is he here?" Magnus demanded.

"Ragnor texted us and we had to hurry, so we didn't have time to call Clary and Simon or have them get there fast enough, so we just brought him," Isabelle explained rapidly.

"As long as he stays in the car, he should be fine," Catarina said, and she and Isabelle continued their search for…whatever they were looking for; Magnus wasn't sure.

He turned back to the witch who had taken over Alec's body. The witch's black eyes looked back at him steadily. Catarina came up behind him and pressed a cross and a vial of holy water in his hands. He looked back at her. "I can't – "

"Yes you can," Catarina said supportively.

Magnus looked back at the witch, who was testing him with its eyes. He held up the cross, licked his lips, and began speaking the Latin words.

Alec's whole body started vibrating, and he started screaming, and for a moment it sounded like the real Alec. Magnus's voice shook for a moment, but he continued. He paused for a moment and flung out his other wrist, splashing Alec with drops of holy water. Alec's hands balled up into fists, and he screamed even louder. Out of the corner of his eye, Magnus saw Jace and Isabelle. Jace's arms were wrapped around his sister, and her head was buried in his shoulder, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed. Magnus kept going.

Suddenly, Alec stopped his movement, and his head slumped to the side. Magnus paused for a fraction of a second. He stuttered with his words, only getting a few out before something strange happened. Of course, Magnus was used to strange, have dealt with strange on a daily basis. He himself was strange in his own way. But _this_…was downright terrifying.

Alec's chair rose into the air, levitation above everyone's heads. Everything was deathly quiet, only the sound of breathing could be perceived. It seemed like hours instead of seconds that Alec hung there, before his chair was flung against the wall. The chair broke into pieces with the force of the blow, and Alec's body dropped to the ground with a thud. A second, maybe two, passed until Alec's head came into view, followed by the rest of him as he got up off the floor. Black eyes stared straight at Magnus with a sickening smile.

Magnus gripped the cross tighter and blinked, a mistake he would regret, because in that second Jace was thrown back, and Isabelle went into Alec's arms. They went to the fireplace on the other side of the room, Alec with a knife held to Isabelle's throat. Tears ran down Isabelle's cheeks as Jace got up with a groan. Magnus held out a hand and guided Jace behind him, giving him the cross and holy water. "There is absolutely no need for this," said Magnus.

The witch considered his words for a moment. "Why," it said at last, "I suppose you are right, Magnus. There isn't a need for _this_." It pushed Isabelle away from it. She fell to her knees, and the witch sneered. "Get up," it said. "You are weak, just like the girl."

Magnus knew it was referring to her own daughter, and he felt pity deep inside him for the poor girl having a mother like this. Isabelle whimpered as she got to her feet and Magnus guided her behind him as well. He watched the witch as it examined the knife, and then Alec's hands. It looked back up to Magnus with a daring glint in its eyes. It raised the knife and held it against Alec's throat, pressing in a little. A trickle of blood dribbled down his neck.

Magnus almost couldn't breath. "N-no," he choked out. "You d-don't want to do that." He held his hands on in surrender, taking slow steps forward while at the same time the witch was taking backward steps.

"Now now, Magnus," said the witch in a teasing voice. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. It might cause my hand to _slip_." It moved its hand a fraction, and more blood began to flow from Alec's throat. Magnus immediately stopped his movement, barely even breathing.

"Why are you doing this?" he whispered, his voice so low even he could barely hear it.

"You were wrong before," the witch said. "I did not choose him because he was weak, no. I chose him because he was the strongest. Elijah was very strong, yes, but not enough, and that is why he died. You see, I only need their _soul_, Magnus, not their life. But if you do not let me go through with this, I will take his life, and countless others after him until I get what I want. Do you want that?" Magnus closed his eyes and looked away. The witch smiled sympathetically. "For your sake, I am hoping he lives. Because you are a weak person, Magnus."

"So you're saying _if_ this works, he will live?" Jace said.

"Jace," Magnus said warningly.

"Do something, Magnus!" Jace yelled. "Don't just stand there and do nothing! That's my brother!" Jace advanced toward the witch.

"Jace no!" Magnus put out a hand to stop him.

But it was too late. The witch ran the knife all the way across Alec's throat. Black mist came flowing out of his throat, and Magnus watched the black in his eyes drain away, revealing his crystal blue ones. And then Alec collapsed on the floor.

Magnus didn't hear himself cry out, but he knew he did as he ran over to where his Alec had collapsed on the floor. He pulled Alec's head into his lap and sobbed uncontrollably, tears dropping onto Alec's face. There was blood on his clothes, and on Magnus's hands, but Magnus didn't care. He just wanted Alec back.

But he knew that was now impossible.

So instead he settled for this, holding Alec's body in his arms and bawling over it, oblivious of the people around him. He then felt strong hands wrap around his arms, and he felt himself being hauled up and away from Alec. "No!" he cried. "No! No, get off me! NO! ALEC!" The strangers carried Magnus out, kicking and screaming and calling Alec's name over and over.

* * *

"Alright." Ragnor's voice was like a stake going through his brain. "Who called 911?"

Magnus sat there, on the back of the ambulance with a blanket around his shoulders, staring off at the ground. The red and blue lights were flashing simultaneously, and it made Magnus's head hurt. The others were standing around him: Catarina sat next to him, running a soothing hand up and down his back while her head rested on his shoulder; Ragnor was standing right next to the truck, leaning against it; Jace, Isabelle, and Max were in a tight little huddle a few feet away, all red-faced and trembling from crying. Magnus had only quit himself maybe an hour ago, after they had brought Alec's body out of the house…

"I did," a small voice said, and it took Magnus a few moments to realize it was Max. "I got scared, and I didn't know what was going on in there, and I heard a bunch of loud noises, and… I'm really sorry -"

"No," said Catarina in her soothing tone. "You did fantastic. Thank you so much for doing that. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't." She swallowed. Her hand found its way to Magnus's hair and ran through it a couple of times. He took a deep breath and looked up at the young Lightwoods.

They looked back at him with big sad eyes, even Jace. "I-I'm so sorry," Magnus said, the first words he'd spoken in hours.

"No," said Jace, "it was my fault. I should've known what would happen if I attacked her. But…you weren't doing anything –"

"He wasn't doing anything because he knew what would happen if he did," Isabelle said.

"No, Jace is right. I…I should have done something, even if it meant being in the same boat we are now, it – it would mean I actually _tried_…instead of just standing there and letting her kill him." Tears started to roll down Magnus's face again, and he looked back down to the ground.

"Excuse me," said a very masculine voice, but it wasn't enough to bring Magnus's head back up.

"Yeah?" said Ragnor.

"If you all could give me some answers on what the hell happened, that would be great. Preferably you." Magnus looked up to find a very large dark-skinned police officer looking at him pointedly.

"Bite me," Magnus said, slowly so the stupid police officer could understand that he did _not_ want to be bothered at the moment.

"Magnus," Catarina scolded. "Don't be rude. Yes, we will answer any and all questions you have."

Magnus tuned out the rest of what the policeman had to say.

* * *

A week later, they all found themselves back at the house. Magnus stood there, looking at it, not entirely wanting to go in. Flashbacks from the night before started to flood his mind.

"_To your best ability, can you tell me who was living here? And why you all were here in the first place?" The policeman kept looking at Magnus, but Magnus didn't look back at him. _

"_We were living here," Jace answered. "Us three, and our brother."_

"_What were the events that led to him dying?" _

"_We were…at a study group," Isabelle lied, and Magnus had to admit she was really good. "And Max was over at a friends'." _

"_It was just us four in the house," Catarina said. _

"_Why were you there in the first place?" _

"_Alec had called Magnus, drunk off his mind," said Ragnor, and Magnus wanted to punch him. "He said he was going to do something crazy, like jump off the roof or something. Magnus said he would come over, and ended up dragging us with him."_

"_What was your relationship to the victim, Mr. Bane?" _

"_He was Alec's boyfriend," Catarina said, and Magnus felt his heart clench._

"_Anyway, that's when Catarina called us, and we came home to find Alec standing with a knife to his throat, yelling things like no one loved him and he was better off dead." Isabelle's voice started getting thicker, and Magnus knew she was almost in tears. Damn, that girl could act. "Magnus kept saying that wasn't true, but he wouldn't listen. And then…he slit his own throat…." _

Magnus shook his head, hoping to clear away those memories.

They were back at the house once again to collect their things. Magnus and Catarina had used some of their money they had saved to buy a low-rent apartment close to their own for Jace, Isabelle, and Max to live in until they completed college and got their own jobs and made a living on their own.

Max was standing next to him, looking at his tire swing on the old gnarled tree with his mouth hanging open. Magnus didn't know whether to inquire about it, or ignore it. Eventually, Max looked up at the house, and then at Magnus. "Why did they lie? Alec didn't kill himself."

"Well," Magnus said gently, "they…couldn't really tell the policeman that there was a ghost that k-killed your brother, could they?" His voice broke on the word _killed._ "He wouldn't believe them."

"But…you're a famous ghost hunter," Max argued. "Didn't they know who you were?"

"Apparently not." Magnus shrugged. "But, it'll be okay. Come on, let's go inside and get your things."

Slowly, they walked toward the old ramshackle house. Magnus thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye, and found himself looking at the old oak tree. He shook his head and continued to walk inside.

Alec's siblings had taken the death of their brother pretty well compared to Magnus. Sure, Isabelle locked herself inside Magnus's apartment, but it was only for three days. This was actually the first time Magnus had been out. Sure, Jace cried his eyes out all week, but only when people weren't looking. Magnus cried nonstop and didn't care who saw him. And sure, Max had stopped reading his manga and had taken to staring out the window all day… Okay, Magnus didn't really have anything to top that; that was just sad.

When Magnus got into the house, the walls were bare, and everything was packed away in boxes. He heard rummaging from upstairs, and concluded it was Ragnor when he noticed Ragnor was the only one not in the living room. He watched for a while as Jace and Isabelle packed everything away. Catarina was in and out of the kitchen, bringing full boxes and taking away empty ones.

Magnus was startled when he felt a tug at his t-shirt. He looked down at a wide-eyed and out-of-breath Max. "What is it?"

"He wants to talk to you." Max smiled.

Magnus's eyes shifted around, looking for any eavesdroppers. Luckily, no one seemed to hear. "Who, Max?"

"Just come on!" Max grabbed his hand and led him onto the porch. Magnus noted that for the first time since ever stepping foot onto the property, the sun was shining, although it did nothing for the temperature.

"Okay, Max, enough games," Magnus warned. "Tell me what's going on."

"It's Alec," said Max. "Alec's here!"

Magnus froze at Alec's name. That…that's not…it can't be… "What? W-where?"

Max pointed to right in front of Magnus. "He wants me to tell you something. He says…" He paused, looking at the empty space in front of Magnus. "He wants you to know it wasn't your fault, his death. He says it wasn't Jace's fault either."

"Max, p-please don't be making this up," Magnus whispered.

"I'm not!" Max protested. "I can prove it. He says that she was wrong; you are not the weak one. You are very strong, what with all you had to go through in your childhood." He looked confused. "I have no idea what he is talking about."

Magnus gave a laugh, and noticed the fresh tears threatening to spill. "I do," he said. "I know what he's talking about."

Something cold pressed against the side of his face, and it made a tear escape his eye. The cold started…shifting, as if it were trying to wipe something away from his face. "He's getting frustrated now because he can't wipe your tears away," said Max softly. He laughed, which made Magnus laugh as well.

"Tell him it's okay," Magnus said.

"He said he can hear you," said Max.

Magnus smiled. "It's okay," he whispered. "I'll be okay." He closed his eyes and swallowed. "I love you."

He felt the same cold feeling against his lips, and he froze, knowing it was Alec. He moved his lips, just a little, and then the cold feeling against them was gone, as was the one against his cheek. He opened his eyes and looked at Max, who was looking up at something right in front of him. "Okay," he said. "I will." He nodded. "I'll make sure they do too." He moved his head to the side slowly, as if he were watching someone walk away. He raised his eyebrows. "Okay, I'll tell him." He looked back at Magnus, and he could see Max was almost in tears himself. "He says he loves you too, and wants you to have a good life."

"I will," Magnus promised, "but it won't be as good as the one I could've had with you."

Max looked back into the yard and whimpered after a moment. "He's gone, Magnus." He went to Magnus's outstretched arms and threw his own around Magnus's waist, burying his face in Magnus's stomach.

Magnus looked back into the yard where Max was looking, but saw nothing. He sighed and closed his eyes. He knew, that without Alec he wouldn't be the same. He was going to miss Alec terribly. But after what had just happened, Magnus knew that Alec would always be with him. And he wouldn't change a thing.

* * *

**I LOVE YOU ALL THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STICKING WITH THIS SUCKY STORY. this, though, has gotten more reviews than my other story. Thank you so much for giving me hope that I can actually do something, because I can't play sports, I can't really play instruments very well, I do karate, but I'm not that great. So, really, thank you. **

***bites lip* Okay, I'm done. **

**With life. **

**See ya later. **


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